Traps Of Being A Good Citizen

Distinguishing between good and bad citizens may be incorrect, as there is no clear dividing line between them. Labeling citizens as bad is thus offensive to us, as we all love to be called good. Independent thinkers say that we have not yet become good citizens. The ruling aristocracies would outright deny this accusation. Yet we cannot lay our hands on our hearts and take an oath that we are good citizens. Some instances can reveal the current status of our citizenry. They are natural, political, and social.

Jealousy, anger, and prejudice are negative aspects of human nature. Driven more by prejudiced attitudes than valid reasoning, we condemn others if they are not in our favour without considering how they would feel when we were not in their favour. This tendency prevails at all levels – family, peer groups, and community. No decent human being can justify this trait as a desirable feature of a good citizen. Yet this has been a sort of inescapable pastime among all human beings. Although we cannot overcome this universal nature, we can lessen it with our wisdom and forgiveness to a large extent. 

Double standard

In Nepali politics, we have been practicing a double standard. The opposition leaders, for instance, tend to criticise the ruling leaders even for a transient cause. But the moment they get to power, the erstwhile rulers do not hesitate to attack those who have just got to power. Most regrettably, that criticism is not based on policy matters; instead, it is mostly ad hominem criticism often targeted at a particular leader. This undesirable trend has evolved over the years, specifically in the aftermath of democratic and republican revolutions. This is very disappointing.

Only apex leadership is not to blame, however. To a great extent, our citizenry is responsible for these mishaps. We are the people who vote for and against the candidates of a fixed party motivated by already indoctrinated ideologies, but not on a performance basis. Because we are the fixed voters of a fixed party, we repeatedly offer our license to our leaders to act as they like. In that sense, we cannot be called good citizens. It is thus difficult to defend the notion that the contemporary Nepali citizenry is good.  

The citizens of a country are good if they are critical to judging things guided by their conscience. They are good when they discard conservative values and embrace progressive values that push society forward. Citizens can become critical only when they are taught critical thinking and encouraged to see things from many different perspectives. However, our education system is faulty in this case. We have been imparting lopsided education, especially value-laden social science education. One might argue we need to teach values, which is good if the values are progressive. But the same can be a curse if the values are conservative. It is thus too late to retrospect on what wrongs we have done and correct them soon. 

But the formal education system alone should not be held responsible for this misfortune. We learn or unlearn to be good citizens at early ages that last to the end of life. While we are children, indelible imprints on some values are left in our minds by our parents and grandparents. While we are adults, we are indoctrinated with this or that ideology constructed by community leaders. The children and youths spend less time at educational institutions than in family and community. So, informal education, which is more practical, has a tremendous impact on life. Since Nepali citizenry is still in its primitive stage, we have yet to learn to be good citizens. 

There are some commonly acceptable features of good citizenry. Citizens who are patriotic, tolerant, and altruistic can be regarded as good, notwithstanding specific differences in community cultures. A patriotic citizen puts the country first and is ready to sacrifice material comfort and the pleasure of being alive. Nepal had witnessed numerous examples of martyrdom since when its people began to be aware of democracy and human rights. But in recent days, young people seem to be disillusioned. The migration of youths to foreign countries by the thousands every day for employment under the pretext of being a student is axiomatic in itself. Despite the growing trend of migration to other countries, we still have a large population struggling to stay in their motherland amidst stupendous hardships and troubles. This is an indicator of good citizenry. 

Tolerance 

Another characteristic of a good citizen is tolerance. Good citizens are tolerant of other people's different religions and cultures. They have mutual respect irrespective of ethnicity, class, and gender. Our conventional habit is that we do not hesitate to deliver a long sermon to show we all are equal – upper caste and lower caste, the wealthy and the poor, men and women, although our practices are contrary. A good citizen behaves decently with others, demonstrating acceptable etiquette and using polite and honorific language. Fortunately, people of different communities and belief systems in Nepal have lived harmoniously for centuries. It is essential to sustain this trend for a good citizenry.

Yet another characteristic of a good citizen is altruism – a sense of readiness to help others in need. This is a disinterested desire and a selfless concern for the well-being of others. This sounds like a utopian belief, but simultaneously, this is an ideal that, if someone follows it, they can be a truly good citizen. We should be cautious of the possibility of being selfish both at individual and community levels. We can certainly avoid selfishness by being dedicated to other people's well-being if we try hard. Can we say we are good citizens that meet the characteristics mentioned above? It is too late to retrospect if we are in the right direction and employ corrective measures to rectify our flaws. The situation is not entirely incorrigible.

(The author is the chairman of Molung Foundation. bhupadhamala@gmail.com)