Citizenship – Local and Global

Political drama continues to happen worldwide. China and Russia push their power whenever they can. Lately they appear to be working together on mutual projects to thwart US interests. The USA works to offset those pressures. As usual, arguments multiply as to who is being the good guy or the bad one.

Truth is all three world powers hold a larger power: collaboration.

Finding commonalities and working on those to improve the global community would provide gains for all three. Easing causes of global warming is just one of those commonalities. Building stronger trading networks would benefit everyone. Sharing efforts on such projects builds working relationships that reduce political tensions, or at least, that is the hope.

Citizenship of the individual is something we can see and feel up close. National citizenship by superpowers is more difficult to grasp. Allies, however, understand the issues quickly. Why not competing ideologies?

If any one of the superpowers were to ‘win’ their hegemony over the others, they still must live with the world community that survives. Wouldn’t it be better, more efficient and productive to inherit a community that is healthy and functioning rather than damaged? In the final analysis, isn’t such a community what we need to survive as well?

Citizenship sees the big picture. Ideological warfare sees small intersections of the larger picture. It is never the whole picture that we need to protect and work toward.

What are some of the big picture issues they need to focus on together? Education of other citizens is one. Health delivery systems and research is another. Ecology and global warming, yet another. Those three issues alone should offer enough work to fuel international collaboration for generations. Other issues are readily available as well.

Rather than adding to a destructive mentality, why not focus on the positive instead? I wonder how the big three might be attracted to do so?

December 1, 2023

 

 

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