Importance of Being a Global Citizen

Importance of Being a Global Citizen Introduction Globalization is the process by which national and international economies are integrated through the global network of trade, communication and transport. It implies the opening of nationalistic perspectives to a larger outlook of an interconnected word that enables free transfer of goods and services across all corners of the world. Globalization is mainly aided by the evolution of transport and communication networks. However globalisation has brought about numerous world issues with it. It is in this context that the term global citizen comes in. On the other hand a global citizen is someone who identifies himself/herself as being a part of the growing community. The actions of a global citizen are always focused toward building the values and practices of the community. We live in a world where people are different. People have different cultural practices, different background experiences and different perspectives about life. However through globalisation all these people are brought together as one common community. For this common community to exist people have to the emotions and behaviour of others. Understanding the value of all these differences enables people to co-exist peacefully in the world. This serves as the sole context of understanding the importance of being a global citizen. Most problems or global conflict whether they take place very many miles away from us or just next door are global issues and require the actions of global citizens .Being a global citizen brings people together to solve these international issues affecting the world. It also enables good interaction practise which build great connections with others. One is able to learn from others from other parts of the world and exchange various educational ideas giving them a different perspective of viewing other people. Advancement in communications technology has enabled one to easily learn online and interact with various professional from different world institutions (Isin, 2013). As a global citizen one not only makes friends but is able to advance his professional career .For me being a global citizen has served to help me advance in all fields of my life possible be it personal life or professional goals. There have been numerous disagreements between different theorists about the concepts of global citizenship. Some theorists use seemingly synonymous terms to describe the concept of global citizenship which lead to the disagreements. As most theorist study different fields they may derive their definition from the field they study. This makes their definition of global citizenship biased to their field of study. In an effort to integrate the various fields and come up with a common definition Reysen and Katzarska-Miller reviewed global education literature and conducted various interviews with global citizens and came up with consistent themes regarding the topic. Global citizenship is the valuing of diversity, social justice, environmental sustainability and the urge to feel responsible for the betterment of the world (Reysen Katzarska-Miller, 2013). However in all these aspects of global citizenship two of serve the most important of them all. The first is valuing diversity. This is the understanding and appreciation for varied cultures in the world .Through appreciating these cultures one is able to interact openly with people from different cultures and background. This is very important as in the current world co-existence with others who are different from us is not an option. No matter where one lives in the world you are bound to meet people who are different from you. Though understanding this concept becoming a global citizen becomes easier. Intergroup helping is the other aspect of global citizenship that is very important. It involves providing aid to people who are outside ones group and people who one is unfamiliar to. One is able to do this through providing financial assistance or food donations to people who are in dire need of them. People can also volunteer to work in some of the hunger stricken areas or simply join organizations which provide such assistance and work with them. These actions build good relationships with other people. Through intergroup helping one is able to build a large connection of friends around them while reducing the effect of some of the global catastrophes on other people .This brings out the true picture of a global citizen. Two instances in my life have taught me to appreciate the above mentioned aspects of global citizenship. I once resided in a neighbourhood of people from different cultures as a kid. Playing and interacting with kids from different races and nationalities was very difficult for me. However things became very easy when i learnt to understand and appreciate them. I began making friends and enjoying the neighbourhood. The other one is last summer I visited a childrens home where I observed the various problems the kids experience while in there. I could only see sad faces observing me .However when i came back to the same home with some donations, the kids were very happy to see me .I was able to easily interact with them and we shared very many stories learnt that when you show kindness to the kids they really appreciate your effort. That is the most important thing for a global citizen. A short course on international Affairs helped me understand all these problems that face the world and the various ways of coming up with solutions as a global citizen. I would encourage other global citizens to take the course too. References Isin, E. F. (2013). Democracy, citizenship and the global city. Routledge. Chicago Reysen, S., Katzarska-Miller, I. (2013). A model of global citizenship: Antecedents and outcomes. International Journal of Psychology, 48(5), 858-870.

American News Media

Being two of the top newspaper publications in United States, New York Times and the Washington Post have been maintaining such competition through the years that evermore raises the quality of American journalism. Raising the bar can have fatal consequences as this requires an even greater pressure, and involves politicking among themselves and their contenders not to mention maintaining its integrity as institutions.This is a fact that the major media companies are aware of, and therefore take such precautions to avoid them damage and at the same time bring them profits and glory. Being representatives of the most powerful country in the whole world, they can easily become prey to the critics as they are constantly being examined under the microscope. And this is when the media’s generals take their positions in the field, taking whatever risks to gain them the lead. The Washington Post’s story on the Watergate Scandal is probably one of the best investigative stories in the recent decades.It was the story that would have not been published without the blessing of its executive editor Benjamin Bradlee who chose to oversee the investigations being run by his writers Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein rather than stay away from the dangers and pressure brought about by the frenzied situation. His trust on the amount of impact of the story won him the gamble. The evidences dug in the story later on contributed to President Nixon’s eventual resignation.After three more decades came the tragedy that shook the world- and the moment the New York Time’s executive editor Howell Raines had been waiting for, successfully commandeering his team of journalist amid the chaos of the September 11 bombing. The stirring portraits and stories of the publication delivered a powerful emotional blow to its readers across the country and helped shape the people’s minds in supporting Bush’s war against terror as they believe that it will bring justice to the dreadful acts of the country’s enemies.His aggressive leadership has brought many changes in the organization despite the criticisms he had received. These are only two of the cases of media’s great battles won, two of the battles that will not have been won without the fortitude and confidence of Bradlee and Raines, for otherwise America will have been seeing a different picture. Today, there has been a growing number of critics since Bush’s failing war on terror with accusations that the media is being used by Bush to spread his propaganda.The public watches and waits for the media’s next move as it enters a new stage. It has also been very influential in the last few decades since the advent of cable television and the internet which allowed them to serve a wider range of audiences and sequentially earn them more profits. It involves itself with war, controversies, scandals, clashes in political beliefs, religion and all the other things vital to people just to be able to deliver what the people need to know that journalists are sometimes even dubbed ‘muckrakers’.The Watergate scandal is probably one of the most unforgettable triumphs of American news media when the investigative reportage from Washington Post’s Woodward and Bernstein triggered public outbursts which largely contributed to President Nixon’s resignation. It proudly displayed its power and steadfastness to America and to the rest of the world. And it is these media’s capabilities that make it one of the most successful industries in America, earning billions of dollars per annum from advertisements alone.But their prominence nonetheless comes with a price. And such sentiments are a lot common nowadays since Bush failed to capture Osama Bin Laden in Al Qaeda followed by his unpopular war in Iraq. Although media has played a large part in both these wars, people still remain skeptical on its real agenda. Most people be lieve that the media is only being used for propaganda.First, it should have been able to expose the truth and determine if Iraq was indeed capable of manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. It is quite arguable if media should even be blamed for it, for the people might simply be too disillusioned to even consider media’s side. American media is being put under more pressure as Bush also struggles to answer every question on why he failed, why he continues to fail and what he will do to avoid future mishaps.

Comparing and Contrasting Beowulf and Odysseus Essay

The characters of Beowulf and Odysseus can be considered a contrast between ice and fire wherein one and is violent and uses its strength to consume and subdue while the other is cool and calculating preferring a patient yet affective approach to solving problems. When referring to the characteristics of fire and ice I am referring to Beowulf as fire and Odysseus as ice this is due to the fact that Beowulf uses his brute strength and force of will to combat his foes while Odysseus uses his cunning and wit to trick his foes into submissions. Analysis of Beowulf In the epic of Beowulf, he conquers and defeats 3 enemies, first is Grendel, then the mother of Grendel then finally a dragon. In all three instances Beowulf comes out on top not through using his mind rather by using his enormous strength. In the fight between him and Grendel he used his bare hands to kill the creature since no mortal weapon could supposedly kill it, when fighting the mother of Grendel he was able to escape death due to the armor he was wearing and was able to defeat the creature through the sheer luck of finding a massive sword nearby capable of beheading it. Towards the end of the epic when Beowulf fought the dragon he was able to defeat it only at the cost of his own life and this was due to the fact that his men abandoned him when they saw the fearsomeness of the dragon. From all these examples you can see that Beowulf is a character similar to that of Hercules in Greek mythology who is a slave to his emotions, uses his brute strength to solve problems instead of his brains and in the end succumbs to death by means of fire (Hercules died on a funeral pyre while Beowulf was mortally wounded by a dragon which is an embodiment of fire). We can conclude that in a sense Beowulf was a powerful hero who was famous for his strength but not for his brains, this particular characteristic might be due to the fact that since epic of Beowulf was Germanic in origin and the area at the time of the poems writing was a harsh wasteland the poem embodied elements that would have been relatable to people at the time who valued strength to endure the harsh the environment rather than intelligences. Analysis of Odysseus Odysseus is presented in both the story of Troy and that of the Odysseus as a person who possessed a modicum of great strength but was more famous for his wisdom and intellect. In the story of Troy he was the one who devised the means of entering the gated city by using a massive wooden horse that contained hidden troops that able to enter the city walls, open the gate and let the invasions force in. Throughout the Odyssey we see that Odyssey continuously uses hs mind to escape dire situations, from his escape from the Cyclops that tried to eat him and his men, to charming the witch Circe, to convincing the Phaeacians to lend him a boat to get back to Ithaca, throughout the story we see how Odysseus uses his mind to triumph and escape from most situations. In a sense we can say that Odysseus is the embodiment of a hero that the ancient Greeks admired since he possessed all the qualities that they valued namely an intelligent mind, great strength and above all empathy for his fellow man. Analysis of Beowulf and Odysseus All in all both characters were embodiments of the traits valued by the regions where their tales emerged as such you can say that both Beowulf and Odysseus were ideals that the local populace in their regions wanted to become or live up to. In the end both heroes have their own defining traits and it isn’t exactly a case of who is the better hero but rather who better embodied the spirit of the region they were created in. List of References Hamilton, Edith. â€Å"Mythology Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. † (1942). Warner Books, New York. â€Å"The Incredible Voyage of Ulysses. † Publishers Weekly 257. 8 (2010): 65. KAKUTANI, MICHIKO. â€Å"Odysseus Engages In Spin, Heroically. † New York Times (2010): 1 Clausen, Christopher. â€Å"Epic Distinction. † Archaeology 63. 2 (2010): 8. Moen, Christine Boardman. â€Å"Stepping into the Classics. † Book Links 19. 3 (2010): 43-46.

Home Education Vs. Public Schools Essay - 949 Words

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This practice is on the rise with statistics showing that today more than two million kids are taught at home. Although many scholars support education that is offered in formal settings such as schools, homeschooling has been an effective alternative to a cheaper more wholesome method of educating children. This practice has immense positive effects on a child physically, mentally and socially with very dismal differences in terms of a child performance when compared to education offered in stricterShow MoreRelatedEssay about Home Schooling vs Public Schooling : Which One Is Better ?1102 Words   |  5 PagesHome Schooling vs. Public Schools: Which One is Better? Thesis Statement: Many parents question what is best for their child’s education, home schooling or public school. Home schooling can sometimes provide a more direct and focused education than public schools, Public School is better in many ways including the child’s social development. I. 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