What do we owe to our government? Of course there are the basic legal obligations that each citizen has, like paying taxes, but what responsibilities do we really have to our government?
Lets look outside of the strictly legal and start from the top. What does a government look for out of its people?
Former president JFK infamously said "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." This paints a great picture of what we ought to be our responsibility to our government.
No matter how counter cultural this might be for our day and age, self sacrifice has always been viewed as noble. In america we have heroes memorialized from this mindset. The most prestigious award in the military is the Medal of Honor. This medal is awarded when a service member shows "Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty." In other words, no one asked them to do what they did, they saw an opportunity for sacrifice, even sacrifice at the cost of their own life, and they courageously stepped forward.
Unfortunately not everyone wants to or is even able to step up to the task of denying themselves. Honestly this is hard.
However, heroes have never been born "heroes", they have made crucial decisions at pivotal junctures in their lives. When opportunity came to them they seized it by the horns and rode it out.
So, what does the government want from you, and conversely, what do you owe to the government?
Self sacrifice.
We owe it to the government that serves us to repay it and serve it back. This comes in all sorts, volunteering in your local community, or even running for office.
A little sacrifice does the soul good.
Yes, agreed. In this age, sacrifice is indeed "noble." This makes me think of those Americans who are quick to thank a soldier for his or her service but then don't think about the policies that put those soldiers in harm's way.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting position you have. I could possibly agree if I thought that the government was benevolent. But it's not--it's made up of a collection of good and bad, flawed humans, who make decisions to put people in harm's way, sometimes reasonably (think WW2) and other times, without a legitimate intent. Sacrifice is good, but doesn't it have to be for good to truly move a society forward?