What Does It Mean To Be A Citizen

When hearing the word citizen, what comes to your mind? Do you think about the rights you have, or do you think of the duties you should uphold? A citizen is someone who fulfills his or her duties in a community, state, or country. When talking about the word "citizen", we should often talk about "citizenship" also. As a popular dictionary defines it, citizenship is when a person is to be under the laws as a citizen of the state. Why should you care, you ask? In everyday life, we should strive to be the best citizens we can be. To provide a point in the community, a successful citizen will make an effort to be healthy, go out of their way for involvement, and is depended upon to be accountable for themselves and their community. Why should a citizen care about healthy living? Healthy living can improve not only your life, but also your friends and families. In the situation that people were to live healthier the world could perhaps become a better place. For example, if people eat healthier, diet, and exercise, they too can benefit. The cost of healthcare could potentially decrease, giving citizens a good reason to want to live healthier. Bens explains in What Does It Mean to Be a Good Citizen, that preventative healthcare now can help save money down the road (Bens). …show more content…
Accountability is being held responsible to uphold certain responsibilities. If the community is holding a community service day where the mayor introduces each member of the community, the mayor will hold you accountable for being there. Another example of accountability, is if you commit a crime in the community, you will be held responsible for your actions. You will be held accountable not only to your community members, but also to the police. Accountability can go a long way because you are held accountable for so many things (including your actions and