Essay on what it means to be a good citizen

Everyone is asked to live under laws which are designed and dictated to us but his does not mean that by following them a person qualifies to be called a good citizen. A good citizen a person needs to be good and considerate about other people and the environment in which they live. While growing up, children are often taught to mind their manners and be respectful. They are also encouraged to help others and love other people. But then in order to exhibit such attributes as responsible persons, people need to set values and principle as well as ethics which will govern their relationships with the societies they live. In doing so, it is no doubt that they will have become good citizens of their communities and even countries. A good citizen, therefore, is that person who lives by the accepted norms of any given society.
In order to be a good citizen, a person needs to have good moral values. These are the values that will dictate the way a person will behave in their communities. There are people who are in need of our help in our communities. The job of a good citizen is to offer a helping hand for these needy persons. Good examples of needy persons are the homeless people and street children. These people don’t have a place to call home and don’t have a constant supply of food all the time. It is the duty of a good citizen to ensure that they come to the help of such persons by giving them leads to where they can find a place to live or even accommodate them if they can. A good citizen can go on to help them with food if accommodation is a problem. Good citizens can come up with means and ways of ensuring that these people are helped by the community or state.
The old man that is not able to cross the street always needs a helping hand. A pregnant woman with a heavy load will need the help of a good citizen who will come to her aid because she is tired. The needy do not only comprise of poor people in society. When such people live amongst us, it is always good to help in making their lives a lot easier and comfortable. Simple gestures like those of helping an old man cross the street or a pregnant woman carry her heavy luggage may be simple but they show how considerate a person can become in making the lives of other people better. It is, therefore, important that good and responsible citizens reach out and extend gestures that will light up a person’s face such as a simple smile and greetings.
A responsible citizen will hold onto principles that rely on the laws that govern humanity. It is always good to know your rights as a person and also to remember that other people have the same rights. This will then call for respect for oneself and other people. When this happens, one can be sure of mutual respect for everyone for who they are. It does not matter the position one holds in society or even gender and race. What matters for a responsible citizen is that we are all human beings and that we should love and respect each other. This goes all the way to touch on animate and inanimate things. When all citizens become responsible, the world will be a better place to live.