Personal responsibilities include taking care of oneself, accepting responsibility for the consequences of one s actions, taking advantage of opportunities to become educated, and fulfilling responsibilities to one s family, friends, and neighbors. Civic responsibilities, on the other hand, comprise obeying laws, respecting the rights and opinions of others, paying taxes, serving in the military, voting, and being informed and attentive to the needs of one s community and nation. Civic responsibility can also include the obligation to be honest, compassionate, tolerant, fair, trustworthy, respectful, open minded, and open to negotiation and compromise. Other discussions of responsible citizenship center around the issue of participation in society at local, state, and national levels. Responsible citizens are often said to be active socially and politically.
Political activity is quite different from social activity.
Students need to understand that political activity usually refers to more than the simple act of voting in periodic elections. Recent discussions of responsible citizenship have taken on new dimensions and have expanded to include the concept of worldwide citizenship. As international travel, communication, and exchanges have become easier and more common, citizens of different countries are becoming more dependent upon one another. This interdependence has given birth to the notion of world citizenship, that is, being a citizen of the world. In general, world citizens are concerned about issues that affect all nations and all people, including overpopulation, the mismanagement of natural resources, and pollution.