Citizenship to me is much more than just being a citizen. Being an active citizen is taking it upon yourself to be apart of society. Rather than simply being a citizen, being an active citizen is using your voice as a citizen to make change. An active citizen would be someone that maybe becomes a leader of a political group or club, or just someone who simply votes. It is important for people to stand up and use their voices, as active citizens do.

 

In the Soul of a Citizen, Loeb says that “When you get involved in something meaningful, you make your life count” ( Loeb 7). The book continues to talk about the importance of standing up to make change happen. Loeb also states that he has “heard active citizens say that what motivates them them the most is the desire to respect what they see in the mirror” (Loeb 21). This is to say that active citizens take action in respect for themselves. They have respect for themselves, so they do what they can to make the best future.

 

Martin Luther King Jr. fought for his rights as a black citizen. He didn’t sit back and wait for others to. That is what many do today, they believe that their opinions will not matter or their votes wont do anything. However, in order to make change citizens need to stand up and speak. Something so small can have such a big effect in the long run. For example, in my own experience, many my age have told me that they don’t vote because they just don’t feel like it or that their one vote won’t change anything. A citizen who truly cares about their future would not think this way.

 

It is one thing to be a citizen, but another to be an active citizen. We live in a democracy where we have the power to change what our future will be like. It is up to us as humans on this earth to decide how we will live. Rather than just living in quiet, we should actively take a role in society which better our world as a whole.