The Importance of Being a Good Citizen



The Importance of Being a Good Citizen

Good citizenship is important in any country, particularly in a democracy such as the United States. In countries where people do not enjoy the freedoms that we have in America, the government plays a larger role in controlling the lives of its citizens. In America, the government is specifically designed to play as small a part as possible in the lives of its citizens. That is one of the principles upon which it was founded. It is the lack of government control that allows us freedom.

But with freedom comes responsibility. Americans must be responsible for their own lives. One way to do this is to obey the law. Of course, it is important for citizens of all countries to obey the law, but in America, we have a special duty to obey the law even when no one is watching us. This is one way we can protect our freedom. The government must be able to trust that people will obey the law. We must supervise ourselves. In this way, we can remain free of too much government control.

Unfortunately, many people do not understand this relationship between trusting that laws are obeyed and keeping our freedom. They feel that as long as no one is looking it is all right to break the law because they will not be caught. This type of behavior hurts society as a whole. It diminishes the trust upon which our freedoms are based.

Read the following example of how this type of behavior hurts our freedom.

Many people shoplift because they think they can get away with it. These people are stealing, which is illegal. But beyond this, their behavior damages the delicate balance between trust and freedom. When people shoplift, it becomes necessary to post hidden guards to watch shoppers. This means people are being watched when they don’t even know it. It also becomes necessary to post people at store exits to search shoppers and their bags before they leave. Innocent people are having their freedom restricted – the freedom not to be watched and searched when they have don nothing wrong.

Think of another example of lawbreaking that hurts society as a whole. Explain how this behavior damages trust and restricts the freedom of innocent citizens.

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