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The Importance of Living As An Active Citizen

Community | Inclusion | Diversity | Service

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The Importance of Living As An Active Citizen
Cameryn Sharkey

As an active citizen, you hold community and inclusion as a high priority in your values. This emphasis on community changes the way in which you make important life decisions. It is important to be involved in your local community in some form because it gives you a real understanding of the area in which you are living. If more people live their lives as active citizens the world would arguably be a happier place.

There is no set guidelines on how to become an active citizen or what experiences you must have in order to become one. Becoming an active citizen is about developing an active mindset focused on supporting others and yourself, reflection, philanthropy, and making choices that benefit the community. Active citizens have an elevated understanding of life and the world around them. It is important to strive to be an active citizen as it can set you apart, give you a more positive outlook on life, and improve the community around you.

Active citizenship increases community involvement in regard to service, politics, etc. Your role as an active citizen does not need to be big and grand, it could be small and simple and still make a true difference in the lives of others. The movements made by active citizens leave lasting impacts and bridge connections between people within the community and beyond. There is so much power in becoming an active citizen that and once you become one, it is important to maintain that power - a fire that burns within you to move mountains and get things done.

It is important to serve as an active citizen because the more active citizens that join together, the more positive changes that can be made and impacts to be left. If there is a cause that you are passionate about, you should follow it. Become an active citizen by living out your passions, especially those that benefit others in your community (or somewhere else across the world). Millions of people worldwide suffer from issues whether they be small or large, physical or mental, etc. Reaching out and learning from these individuals, taking the time to really listen to their needs is so important to them in that they are given the chance to say what kind of help they actually need.

Many people act as just simple volunteers with good intentions, but no experience with or education about leading social issues. Out of these volunteers, several probably fall into the trap of "voluntourism" as they only focus on what feelings volunteering brings to them and their own experiences. It is important to push pass to becoming an active citizen as you will no longer do more harm than good when you are trying to help. It is important to live as an active citizen because active citizens are important to the betterment of society.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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