Post by seraaches on Jan 2, 2010 21:03:46 GMT -5
(( Rather than make this easy on me and letting me just write him, Levi decided he was going to write a friggin' essay. <<; So, here's 1000(And a little plus) words of Levi talking about citizenship. *coughs* ))
Citizenship, by Levi
Citizenship is defined simply as the state of being a citizen in a state, country, or region, of a social, political, or national nature. This does not even begin to cover the idea and concepts behind the encompassing word of ‘citizenship’. It requires certain responsibilities and rights, though the everyday Card might not ever take advantage of either of these, which is really a shame.
Citizenship, to me, refers to the work you should do for the betterment of not only yourself and your immediate social circle, be they of your region or not, but also the betterment of your region and, preferably, the entire world. It is more of an active citizenship, but it is wasteful to not take advantage of the benefits of one’s citizenship, be it for just their realm or beyond.
To be a good citizen, one needs to go out of their way to make things better around them. Sometimes that is as simple as being a good friend or a good neighbour, and sometimes it’s a more involved thing, like entering into the Courts to represent your region and thus make things better for everyone. This is a harder step because it’s so much more involved than simply being available to your neighbours. Obviously, there’s also a great deal more danger, usually, in the Courts, unless you live near certain borders, and then it’s something of a toss-up. Courts have their challenges, but some places, like the region I’ll be discussing today, it’s just as dangerous to simply be of that realm, especially when you live in it, because some other realms are not only jealous but try to take over your realm because they don’t like their own.
This especially goes true for being a citizen of the Josiggy Marsh. I am only part Josiggy, but my father was full, and just the story of his history helps drive home the importance of being a good citizen in both aspects. When he was young, he and his brother were attacked by Lowlanders; his brother was killed and he was terribly wounded. He, too, would have died, if another Josiggy dweller had not found him and taken him home. This man not only nursed my father back to health, but also raised him into adulthood. This is the ultimate example of being a good citizen within a realm. Sacrificing not only his time, energy, and stores in a dangerous region, this man helped to save a fellow Josiggy.
When my father grew up, he left his home realm and entered the Courts in order to help his realm to the best of his ability. This, in turn, encouraged his adoptive father to return to the Courts, and allowed a connection between the two Courts, once quite hostile towards each other, and thus opening the doors for more interaction between realms. Throughout his life, my father managed to make major connections with two of the other three Courts, thus tying them all closer together.
Another aspect of being a citizen of Josiggy, an aspect that many don’t understand, is the need to guard the borders. Josiggy Marsh is constantly under attack by the Lowlands. It’s hard for many to fully understand the need for survival skills and self-protection that are basically required in Josiggy. It is distasteful, but necessary to exterminate the vermin that slinks into the Marsh in hopes of killing its citizens for no good reason, and often for little more than sheer jealousy of Josiggy’s better land and placement, which is actually fruit of our hard work.
It is difficult, for example, for a Corvistowneian to understand the problems inherent in being a Josiggy, especially since their focus is often so firmly placed on their own scientific interests and research. I think, though, that it is very important for the Corvistowne citizens to have this dedication to their work; there are many advances in techniques, technology, medicine, etc, that could never have occurred without this devoted men and women to their work. As such, I find this to be one of Corvistowneians’ specific citizen responsibilities. They, too, have the same obligations to help each other and their realm as a whole, but I think it’s harder for them to pull themselves away from their research, unless they are a mix and thus have the other regional influence to help balance out the rather focused view they have of the world. Even then, however, some of the Corvistowneian mixes I know are still rather dedicated. Many of the Josiggy Marshdwellers I know are pretty dedicated to their causes, but few of them can compare to the singlemindness of a Corvistowneian.
Another realm that may have trouble understand Josiggy is the other half of my own mix, Morganberry. Because of my Morganberry side, I tend to be a bit more ambitious then my non-Morganberry siblings, but I can also keep it better in view. Morganberries, generally, see only the wealth of Josiggy and not the inherent dangers. Morganberry has trouble keeping the betterment of their own region in view, which is something they should really try to work on. Too often, they seek to escape the confines of what is actually a really nice realm. Morganberries, however, are very good at focusing in on their goals and desires, which is something a lot of the Josiggies I’ve met could probably work on some. It’s difficult to distract a Morganberry from their goals, and that is a very admirable trait. Both realms, however, do work hard in life, which is also really good.
All in all, I think all of the realms share certain responsibilities to themselves and to the world at large. Every Card should do their best to be a good neighbour, a good friend, and help those around them, whether in their immediate circles or just passing through. Some Cards are called to higher power and authority through the Courts, and should keep the same things in mind once they gain their ranks. They have obligations to not only their Suit, but also to the realm, or realms, they represent. They should still be pushing for the betterment of themselves and those around them. That is what it means to be a good citizen.
Citizenship, by Levi
Citizenship is defined simply as the state of being a citizen in a state, country, or region, of a social, political, or national nature. This does not even begin to cover the idea and concepts behind the encompassing word of ‘citizenship’. It requires certain responsibilities and rights, though the everyday Card might not ever take advantage of either of these, which is really a shame.
Citizenship, to me, refers to the work you should do for the betterment of not only yourself and your immediate social circle, be they of your region or not, but also the betterment of your region and, preferably, the entire world. It is more of an active citizenship, but it is wasteful to not take advantage of the benefits of one’s citizenship, be it for just their realm or beyond.
To be a good citizen, one needs to go out of their way to make things better around them. Sometimes that is as simple as being a good friend or a good neighbour, and sometimes it’s a more involved thing, like entering into the Courts to represent your region and thus make things better for everyone. This is a harder step because it’s so much more involved than simply being available to your neighbours. Obviously, there’s also a great deal more danger, usually, in the Courts, unless you live near certain borders, and then it’s something of a toss-up. Courts have their challenges, but some places, like the region I’ll be discussing today, it’s just as dangerous to simply be of that realm, especially when you live in it, because some other realms are not only jealous but try to take over your realm because they don’t like their own.
This especially goes true for being a citizen of the Josiggy Marsh. I am only part Josiggy, but my father was full, and just the story of his history helps drive home the importance of being a good citizen in both aspects. When he was young, he and his brother were attacked by Lowlanders; his brother was killed and he was terribly wounded. He, too, would have died, if another Josiggy dweller had not found him and taken him home. This man not only nursed my father back to health, but also raised him into adulthood. This is the ultimate example of being a good citizen within a realm. Sacrificing not only his time, energy, and stores in a dangerous region, this man helped to save a fellow Josiggy.
When my father grew up, he left his home realm and entered the Courts in order to help his realm to the best of his ability. This, in turn, encouraged his adoptive father to return to the Courts, and allowed a connection between the two Courts, once quite hostile towards each other, and thus opening the doors for more interaction between realms. Throughout his life, my father managed to make major connections with two of the other three Courts, thus tying them all closer together.
Another aspect of being a citizen of Josiggy, an aspect that many don’t understand, is the need to guard the borders. Josiggy Marsh is constantly under attack by the Lowlands. It’s hard for many to fully understand the need for survival skills and self-protection that are basically required in Josiggy. It is distasteful, but necessary to exterminate the vermin that slinks into the Marsh in hopes of killing its citizens for no good reason, and often for little more than sheer jealousy of Josiggy’s better land and placement, which is actually fruit of our hard work.
It is difficult, for example, for a Corvistowneian to understand the problems inherent in being a Josiggy, especially since their focus is often so firmly placed on their own scientific interests and research. I think, though, that it is very important for the Corvistowne citizens to have this dedication to their work; there are many advances in techniques, technology, medicine, etc, that could never have occurred without this devoted men and women to their work. As such, I find this to be one of Corvistowneians’ specific citizen responsibilities. They, too, have the same obligations to help each other and their realm as a whole, but I think it’s harder for them to pull themselves away from their research, unless they are a mix and thus have the other regional influence to help balance out the rather focused view they have of the world. Even then, however, some of the Corvistowneian mixes I know are still rather dedicated. Many of the Josiggy Marshdwellers I know are pretty dedicated to their causes, but few of them can compare to the singlemindness of a Corvistowneian.
Another realm that may have trouble understand Josiggy is the other half of my own mix, Morganberry. Because of my Morganberry side, I tend to be a bit more ambitious then my non-Morganberry siblings, but I can also keep it better in view. Morganberries, generally, see only the wealth of Josiggy and not the inherent dangers. Morganberry has trouble keeping the betterment of their own region in view, which is something they should really try to work on. Too often, they seek to escape the confines of what is actually a really nice realm. Morganberries, however, are very good at focusing in on their goals and desires, which is something a lot of the Josiggies I’ve met could probably work on some. It’s difficult to distract a Morganberry from their goals, and that is a very admirable trait. Both realms, however, do work hard in life, which is also really good.
All in all, I think all of the realms share certain responsibilities to themselves and to the world at large. Every Card should do their best to be a good neighbour, a good friend, and help those around them, whether in their immediate circles or just passing through. Some Cards are called to higher power and authority through the Courts, and should keep the same things in mind once they gain their ranks. They have obligations to not only their Suit, but also to the realm, or realms, they represent. They should still be pushing for the betterment of themselves and those around them. That is what it means to be a good citizen.
Congrats on getting the first badge, haha...XD
