A CITIZEN’S
MANIFESTO
Why a citizen. Because:
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A citizen is someone
who is responsible for his own life, for the life of his community, his
nation, aye, even the fate of the world (if the world is not yours to alter,
do you imagine that that will stop those who would alter it?). He is not a
victim of circumstances; life is not beyond his control. When he is pissed
off enough, he fights City Hall. And he wins, every time. Is it true that we
are totally masters of our fates? Probably not, but it makes little sense to
live life believing we are others’ pawns. Is this just a restatement of the
ancient argument between free-will and determinism? Yup. We are free,
whether we will or not, whether we are or not.
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When I was a child, I
decided I would build my life around being a citoyen du monde (world citizen,
French Revolutionary-style). Imbedded in that was travel, awareness of and
comfort with others’ ways of life, an aesthetic and cultural sensibility. My
children are on their own now. And I am not done being a child.
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We are all citizens of
the world whether we like it or not, whether we believe so or not. The world
we live in is the product of our past decisions and actions and tomorrow’s
world will be the product of the decisions and actions we take now. Whether
we believe it or not.
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Thom Paine -- one of
the principal inspirations for this Web site -- signed his best propaganda “a
citizen.” It left him free to write what he would, and it forced others to
consider his ideas without being able to dismiss them because of a bushel of
preconceptions about the author's character or reputation. The downside, of
course, was that he knew he would never be invited to appear on Dave
Letterman.
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Freedom is a monumental
word for me, a source of incredible energy and passion. Is it because I never
totally resolved my Oedipal conflict? I care not. Is this nation, for nearly
two-hundred years the whole world’s definition of a free society, to be
bothered by considering the psychological origins of its own obsession with
freedom? I choose not to undermine our obsession with such a beautiful and
empowering idea with psychological amputation.
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Above all, freedom is
everyman's birthright, and responsibility. As such, the conditions of life are
ours to choose.
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The world is ours to
keep, preserve and enhance; it is ours to use, to waste and destroy. If we do
not choose, others will; but it will be our choice nonetheless.
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