The Importance of Being a Global Citizen
Although some argue we should focus on the welfare of our own nation first, I believe identifying globally allows us to see the interconnectivity of the world and therefore create long-term solutions. To be a global citizen means that you are concerned with our global welfare above that of your own country. In my home country of America specifically, our international relations continue to create meaningful relationships that benefit all nations, including our own. This has been and will continue to be more beneficial to us in the long run than focusing on only our nation and consequently creating only short-term solutions.
In other words, people are not bound to one country, making it impossible for one nation to ever truly has its own issues. In the modern world, travel has never been cheaper or more accessible. People can be dual citizens, and most of us travel or experience living in another country. Being a national citizen forces the assumption that people stay in one country and that they cannot have multiple identities or residences. Since people humans often do not remain in a singular nation, problems that affect one country will never be bound to that country. If we attempt to solve issues nationally, no solution will be permanent. It is necessary to think of ourselves as global citizens because humans are not nationally limited, and neither are our issues.
In the same way, If a country is experiencing poverty and unrest, the citizens of that nation will immigrate to other nations, therefore affecting everyone. Citizens also immigrate for other reasons, such as greater opportunities and starting a new life. People have always immigrated and emigrated to different nations and being a national citizen disregards this movement. Because of this, It is rare for a country’s issues, whether it be war or poverty, to affect only those in their country. Other countries will likely be impacted at some point because people will bring these issues with them when they immigrate. By working as global citizens, we can work to solve them while creating lasting solutions so the problems don’t end up intensifying and spreading around the world.
One example of this is that no single nation can solve environmental issues without joining forces and considering how each nation can do its part. Issues such as global warming are not possible to solve indefinitely without creating a long term solution. Environmental obstacles are not bound to one nation; these problems continue to get worse for all of us because not all nations are focused on it proportionally. While we may be able improve some things nationally, such as pollution, larger global issues such as climate change cannot be solved in one place. These environmental issues are affecting all of us on the globe and they will continue to persist if we do not solve them globally. The only thing we can do to make an impact is to create a plan for everyone to follow. By doing this, problems like air quality and global heating will become manageable for each individual country as well as internationally.
Similarly, one of the most important topics to consider in recent years is the Covid-19 pandemic. This is one issue that definitely cannot be solved in any one nation unless it is solved globally. Due to the aforementioned travel and the interconnectivity of the world, national solutions will not be effective. People continue to travel during the pandemic, bringing the disease with them. While some countries have been able to lower their positivity rate by creating boundaries, this is not a permanent solution. These countries are thinking nationally, which will not be ultimately successful. Unless these countries plan to never open themselves up, which is not feasible for economic or social purposes, they will need to come up with a lasting solution. One of the most effective ways to slow the spread of the virus is global vaccination. While national efforts to contain the pandemic can be helpful, if we can improve the global vaccination rates, our world can finally begin to return to normal. Some countries may be doing better than others when it comes to Covid, but the problem will linger unless we work as global citizens. It is crucial now more than ever to find a global solution to actually solve the problem instead of just putting a band-aid on it.
Admittedly it is more of a challenge to tackle global issues first. It may seem overwhelming to try to solve other nations’ problems while still dealing with our own. This is why some people say we should focus on national issues primarily. This can be effective in some cases if countries isolate themselves or suppress other nation’s well beings for the benefit of themselves.
Nevertheless, long-term thinking is crucial here, and solving the issues permanently can only be done globally. Obstacles that nations face are almost always interconnected with other nations. Working as a national citizen will only create short-term solutions and it will not actually deal with the problem. While it may be possible to solve a problem temporarily by thinking nationally, the problem will likely persist in other places and come back to them.
In short, by working on these issues in a global setting, we can actually see a change in each nation, and no part of the world will suffer disproportionally. All nations will experience their own problems, but these problems will almost always become global because of how connected all nations are. If we can aid each other in these times of need by thinking as global citizens, we will be able to indelibly solve each problem.
Therefore, being a global citizen will not only benefit those all over the world, but it will significantly benefit our nations as well. Human nature is that people have relationships with multiple countries and the issues we face do as well. By working together globally to solve issues, we are able to help ourselves in the long run. It is crucial to form alliances with other nations and be aware of our interconnectivity to truly create long-term solutions.
