8.2.4 Citizenship in Times of Crisis
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8.2.4 Citizenship in Times of Crisis
"2018 Women's March, San Francisco", January 20th, 2018. Photo by Pax Ahimsa Gethen, Courtesy WIkimedia Commons
In the face of emergency, what happens to our role as citizens? In an emergency, should we protect only our own interests? Or is that when people should cooperate to demonstrate their commitment to a better world?
The woman on the left is protesting against her local utility company that has shut off the power to people who have not paid their bills, resulting in the deaths of several people in the area. To shame the company into providing for its customers, she is publicizing the names of those who died.
Many kinds of crises occur in our world today. Some involve local disasters, both natural and man-made. Others involve environmental catastrophes that damage the ecosystem, including the habitats of plants, animals, and human beings. The most serious global issues tend to be unpredictable massive natural disasters that cannot be controlled by the actions of people, including floods, famines, pandemics, tornados, hurricanes, droughts, blizzards, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides.
Some examples include the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 killing 230,000 people. In 2008, an earthquake in Sichuan province of China killed more than 70,000 people. The tsunami that struck Indonesia in 2004 left more than 230,000 death.
The woman on the left is protesting against her local utility company that has shut off the power to people who have not paid their bills, resulting in the deaths of several people in the area. To shame the company into providing for its customers, she is publicizing the names of those who died.
Many kinds of crises occur in our world today. Some involve local disasters, both natural and man-made. Others involve environmental catastrophes that damage the ecosystem, including the habitats of plants, animals, and human beings. The most serious global issues tend to be unpredictable massive natural disasters that cannot be controlled by the actions of people, including floods, famines, pandemics, tornados, hurricanes, droughts, blizzards, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides.
Some examples include the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 killing 230,000 people. In 2008, an earthquake in Sichuan province of China killed more than 70,000 people. The tsunami that struck Indonesia in 2004 left more than 230,000 death.
These global disasters call on people all over the globe to demonstrate their "global citizenship", which is their compassion for people who are in need outside their own nations.
Responding to these disasters can take many forms. Many people come forward with donations of money or supplies. Others volunteer their time to raise funds, some make the commitment of their time and energy to go to the place of crisis and volunteer to build houses, deliver medical aid, or help with clean up.
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"Volunteers help evacuees stranded on Highway 63", Edmonton Journal, You-tube
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"Incredible Volunteer Response in Calgary", CBC News: The National, You-tube
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"Canadian Medical Missions in Haiti", Al Jazeera English, You-tube
Read "Natural Disasters and World Responses" on pages 466 to 468 of your text Perspectives on Ideology.