CARE

What is a global citizen? The Internet describes a global citizen as, “A person who applies the concept of citizenship to a global level, and is strongly connected with the concepts of globalization and cosmopolitanism.” But what does this mean? The CARE model, which is a set of guidelines developed by Me to We, attempts to help explain what it means to be a global citizen. The acronym CARE stands for compassion, action, responsibility and equality. All of these qualities are important in respects to becoming a global citizen and a respectable role model.

In ranking these qualities in order of importance, I would have to agree with the model established by Me to We: Compassion, action, responsibility and equality. To be a caring and compassionate person means you have the desire to be a good person. You do not volunteer to gain volunteer hours or create an image for yourself. You volunteer because you truly believe in helping others. To care about the feelings of others, for yourself, and for the world around you is a fundamental step in becoming a global leader.

Action is also a crucial step. To become a global citizen you must not only have good thoughts, but also act upon them. Personally, I find this to be one of the most difficult steps. Our lives are busy, filled with school, extracurriculars, and a social schedule. However, if everyone made time to volunteer or search for the nearest recycling bin, I believe the world would be a much better place.

To be responsible is to be a person who may be seen as a leader. To be responsible means to be a person who is reliable and honest. These characteristics are key to becoming a global citizen. In order to gain the respect and have a positive impact on the people around you it is important to be true to what you stand for, or in other words, ‘walk the walk’.

I ranked equality last, although this does not mean it is any less important. To have equality in society is to appreciate others differences. We are all people of different race, gender, and economic background. If we were to treat people with the respect they deserve, conflicts such as the Arab-Israeli conflict would be resolved and tension and hard feelings between groups of people would be relieved. In order to be a global citizen you must go into any situation with an open mind. I believe equality is encompassed with the qualities listen above, most specifically compassion.

Wikileaks Is a Go

Wikileaks is a non-profit website that posts classified information media from anonymous news sources and leaks. Wikileaks’ intentions were good. As they had originally stated: “our primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Societ bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle east, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations.” Wikileaks is designed to expose the truth. However, there have been instances where Wikileaks has threatened the relationships of many countries.

It has been declared that Wikileaks serves as a potential threat to the world’s security and especially the United States. As stated by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs: "[Wikileaks] could compromise private discussions with foreign governments and opposition leaders." He stated that this not only affects the United States safety, but also our allies around the world. However, legal spokesman Mark Stevens of Wikileaks argues that there is “no threat to either the security of individuals or ongoing operations”. They insist that they put serious thought into what is to be released and they make sure that the classified information they do release does not put lives at risk.

Overall, I feel that Wikileaks is a positive movement. It is keeping the citizens out of the dark and allowing them to fully understand their government and their motives. Maybe Wikileaks can reveal and prevent any corruption that is prevalent in our word. As long as the information being released is regulated and a line is not crossed, Wikileaks should continue to operate.

Globalization: Detrimental?

Globalization is the interaction and integration among people across the world. It involved the interaction between companies, governments, nations, societies, etc. This is a result of our modernizing world. Because we have the technology, the transportation, and the resources, we are able to communicate with people all over the world. Economoic globalization is a term that is commonly associated with globalization. This includes the integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, technology, and military presence.

Of course globalization has its pros. It allows countries to become involved in the global market like never before, giving them the opportunity to improve their economy and compete with more developed nations. It also makes our world a more connected place. We are also able to recognize when conflict is occurring in other countries, and deliver aid when needed. However, globalization also has serious detrimental effects on our world. Some, including myself, would argue that the cons might outweigh the pros in this situation. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, and on political systems and on human physical well-being. Deforestation, air pollution, and mineral depletion is occurring; It has also known that globalization has helped to spread some of the deadliest infectious diseases known to humans; and cultures are losing their uniqueness with McDonalds and Starbucks becoming widespread. Poorer countries are also losing their say in many situations, doing what the more powerful nations are telling them to do. I believe our “Americanizing” world is developing social and economic issues with Globalization as the root cause.