Some 2500 years ago the Greek city-states took a giant step toward true democracy when they invented the concept of citizenship. Last week, in Philadelphia President Clinton neutered that concept. Throughout the weekend leaders defined citizenship as the doing of individual good works. To them a good neighbor is the same as a good citizen. Neighborliness is the foundation of a healthy civil society.
Citizenship is the foundation of a healthy democracy.
Before the Greeks, communities were governed by religious or royal leaders. The Greeks conceived the radical notion that people could directly determine their collective future. A Greek citizen had rights and responsibilities. He had to defend his community and inform himself about and participate in public policymaking. A Greek citizen might have spent as much time debating the needs of his city as Americans do watching television.