Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Perspectives on civic engagement
While Indians take pride in our national heritage, history, culture; there is one area that we seriously lack in : Civic awareness and engagement.
Indians are extremely un-aware or callous about civic issues and tend not to worry about the space aound them or even issues pertaining to public order or safety and well-being. THere is an almost extreme form of selfishness which permeates thinking . A form of thinking which says that my world ends where the door of my home closes. The absolute callousness with which society in India functions is an indicator of this.
The average educated American is aware of issues around him/her ; seems to care and takes pride in trying to understanding, if not solving the problems around her. This attitude is the first step to building a strong civil society.
As i landed in Washington Dulles Airport, there were kiosks manned by US volunteers who were helping people with information etc..I noticed at least 3 advertisements in a span of a day for volunteering opportunities in the city.
The initial impressions that i am gathering seem to be positive and there seems to be a strong civic consciouness in the USA, which is missing in India. Perhaps a lesson for us to learn from a relatively new country ?
Indians are extremely un-aware or callous about civic issues and tend not to worry about the space aound them or even issues pertaining to public order or safety and well-being. THere is an almost extreme form of selfishness which permeates thinking . A form of thinking which says that my world ends where the door of my home closes. The absolute callousness with which society in India functions is an indicator of this.
The average educated American is aware of issues around him/her ; seems to care and takes pride in trying to understanding, if not solving the problems around her. This attitude is the first step to building a strong civil society.
As i landed in Washington Dulles Airport, there were kiosks manned by US volunteers who were helping people with information etc..I noticed at least 3 advertisements in a span of a day for volunteering opportunities in the city.
The initial impressions that i am gathering seem to be positive and there seems to be a strong civic consciouness in the USA, which is missing in India. Perhaps a lesson for us to learn from a relatively new country ?
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