Nasrine Shah Abushakra Ph.D.
I have been hearing a lot about the word “citizen” lately. In fact, this years theme for TEDxDubai is “Good Citizen” and you know I gotta to get my TEDxDubai on! Not to mention this word has been woven into the tapestry of my existence since birth. Citizen, this word provokes so many elements in my core that is echoes the vibe at a late night viewing of Citizen Kane by Orson Welles.
You know that Xanadu essence.
Or the concept of a “World Citizen” what does that mean anyways? Are we all simply citizens of the world, equally and without reservation? Or are we American citizens, which allow us the privilege to have access to the whole world? Or are we simply the new improved cohort of human beings that call many places home and have grown roots in endless cities? For example, when we land there, be it Paris, London or Cairo, we are able to easily navigate the exotic terrain, for it really is one of our homes. What essentially is a citizen and how do we become a citizen? Are we now both citizens of our local community and the global community? Does being a citizen and having a passport to a particular nation mean the same thing? Is being a citizen to a polis mean that we need to uphold our commitment to serving the city-state that we have the benefit of being citizens of? Is being a citizen a privilege or a right?
I am a citizen of the United States of America; I am not naturalized like my parents. It’s the only citizenship I have the honor of holding although I have been a resident of several countries, I have never applied for citizenship in those countries nor have I thought about defecting to another country. Mainly, because of what my parents would say. I only claim to be American, and I don’t know anything else about citizenship except being one, in the U.S. I hope this makes me someone that honors and respects any nation where I am guest in. Being American and being a first generation American makes myself a member of an amazing cohort of remarkable human beings. Of course, I am bias.
I am grateful to be an American and all that America has given my family and myself. She has educated me, gave me work experience at organizations and companies that are recognized globally. She taught me about human rights, dignity, hope, working hard, being authentic, being a triple threat is in fact more the norm than not in the US (think President Obama, a politician, a lawyer, a writer a father and so on or Jay Z a producer, a singer, a musician a business mogul think Oprah a producer, a journalist a writer a beauty queen or my mother a medical professional, a painter, teacher and student) or myself, an academic, a government employee, a professor an entrepreneur and like the above wear many more hats.
I found that many in my inner circle are creative dynamic people that fully utilize both their right side and left side of the brain. Now don’t get me wrong there are people from ALL over the globe that do this, however, is it the norm? I wonder what it is about America that allows so many to BE this? Is it really the land of opportunity? Do we Americans take that for granted? Are we so blessed that we have forgotten to be grateful?
When I lived in Cairo, Egypt, I realized how lucky I was, not only was I from the US, but from Brookline and the Back Bay of Massachusetts, so what I took for granted ever single day became a profound learning experience. Again, don’t get me wrong about Cairo, she fundamentally changed me in ways I need to write a novel about however, gaining access to clean water in Cairo versus Brookline, well, you can only image what that was like. So many Americans venture abroad and what do we see? Intense poverty, corruption, religious chaos, classism, racism and gender bias that makes you turn inside out! AND I am taking about cities in the EU not even the developing world yet; wait til I get to that part!
I know NO country is perfect, it simply isn’t and America is not utopia however, it is my utopia, for I am a citizen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCjsw9zwAgg