What is Civic Duty?
Civic duty is defined “the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force” John D Rockefeller expressed civic duty as such "we must instill a sense of duty in our children"; "every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty". In other words civic duty is a citizen’s responsibility to give back to their country. Either by paying taxes or participating in jury duty it is a citizen’s responsibility to give back to their country. Civic duty should especially be present in America as the United States Constitution protects rights and privileges that most individuals do not have in other countries. Thus, it is a citizen’s duty to ensure that they give back to the country that has given them so much. Many Americans view civic duty as unnecessary and a waste of time(Rockester). They believe that one person will not change anything about their nation. However, if everyone had this opinion then there would be no volunteers and the homeless would starve, hurricane and earthquake victims would be own their own, and unfortunate citizens of the United States would suffer because some citizens would rather spend time watching Monday Night Football. Thus, civic duty is essential and is an ideal that should be embraced rather than ignored(Walter).
Common examples of civic duty are charity work and jury duty. Numerous citizens volunteer every year to help those that are not as fortunate as they. Either through food banks or soup kitchens volunteers help feed the homeless who unfortunately have no other means to obtain food. Moreover, volunteers help cities in times of crisis by raising awareness and money to help aid the broken city. For example, millions of American gave in some way or another to help the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Another example of civic duty is participating in jury duty(Rockester). Every legal citizen in the United States is required to attend jury duty when called upon. It helps judges and courts complete trials in a timely manner.
Paying taxes can also be classified as a civic duty as it helps benefit the nation as a whole(Rockester). Although it is required, paying taxes provides money to the government that is in desperate need of help. Any financial benefits the government receives only helps pull them closer out of debt and thus paying taxes is a civic duty.
Voting also helps benefit the nation as it helps the government represent the people. Whoever is elected to Congress or the House of Representatives or whatever government position one are running for, the popular candidate will always win (with exception of the presidential election which is a whole other story). Thus, along with completing the Census that comes around every few years, one can ensure that their interests are represented by voting which makes it a civic duty.
Overall, Civic duty is a responsible to help others who are less fortunate. By helping give back to the government, one can increase the number of tax dollars available to help fund social benefit programs. In the eyes of some, Civic duty is considered optional; however, in order to obtain maximum efficiency in government one must be willing to sacrifice their “free” time to help care for others.
Putting some change into the Salvation Army bucket
I think she likes me
Jake and I ringing our bells
Walmart is the ish
Doing the most good
Pictures
Just chilling like a villian
Analysis of Civic Duty
For my project I rang bells outside of Walmart to help raise money for the Salvation Army. Over the course of ten hours I was able to raise 200 dollars to help benefit those families who are in desperate need of help. I picked the Salvation army because I know that their goal is sincere. They truly do take the money that has been collected and use it to benefit the community. Other institutions such as United Way use collected money to benefit their employees. Thus, I felt that it was my civic duty to help benefit the community by working for an agency that cared about the less fortunate. With the money Jake and I were able to raise, I was able to feel good that I had helped make some ones holiday. Because civic duty includes anything that helps benefit society, I believe that helping spread holiday cheer can be described as civic duty. Thus by passing out candy canes and taking pictures with Santa we helped people temporally forget about the problems their facing in the real world and embrace the festival nature of the holiday season.
In my opinion, most Americans believe that civic duty is not worth the hassle and time. They believe that the time spent serving on jury duty could be used elsewhere, either at work or in the household. Thus, most Americans resent civic duty. However, civic duty is not optional. One must always be willing to serve and protect their country. By doing so they are guaranteed rights that most other citizens in other nations do not have. We as Americans are fortunate enough to live in a country that is for the most part safe and secure. America needs to bond together as a whole and do their part in helping out. We all aren’t lucky enough to live in furnished houses and apartments and thus we need to help those who are less fortunate. With hard work and dedication, America can become a much better place for everyone. More citizens will be able to live the American dream if everyone contributes and lends a helping hand. In the words of John F. Kennedy “ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”
What I did?
For my project I along with Jake Hunt spent ten hours, four hours on Friday and six on Saturday, ringing bells to collect money for the Salvation Army. We would greet people as they entered the Walmart in Anthem and bid them good bye as they left. Moreover, we constantly rung Christmas bells, with the exception of our short breaks were we would eat some Swedish fish and Sour Patch Kids, to persuade people to put as much as they could in our red box. If someone happened to put in money, we would reward them with a candy cane to help spread the Christmas spirit. We were able to volunteer for being bell ringers through Jake’s church and we were fortunate to receive help from other members of the congregation. We collected a total of 200 dollars in two days and helped spread holiday joy to all who entered Walmart.. The money we collected stayed local and helped benefit those in the Anthem community who were struggling.
Bibliography
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/06/is_civic_duty_optional.html, Rockester, Craig, June 11, 2008
http://www.audioenglish.net/dictionary/civic_duty.htm, Walter, George, July 21, 2010
