This Saturday 24th October 8-9 PM on It’s A Question Of Balance with Ruth Copland we consider ‘Can We Be National and Global Citizens?’ The first use of the term world citizen is ascribed to Diogenes of Sinope living two and half thousand years ago. When he was asked where he came from he responded ‘I am a citizen of the world.’ This was a radical claim at a time when a man’s identity and often security was tied to his citizenship of a particular city state. Today even though we have the ability to travel virtually anywhere in the world we are still very conscious of our national roots. In addition, with the amount of conflict and poverty in the world the number of refugees and would-be immigrants seeking a safe haven is increasing which is challenging people to consider what national identity means and how it should be protected or expanded. Bearing this in mind, I’m wondering do you think of yourself as a national citizen and a global citizen? What does being a global citizen mean to you? Do you think of global citizenship as requiring one world system or as being more about one planet where there are diverse cultures and ways of doing things but we are interconnected? What responsibility do you think we have to be part of a global solution to help the challenges facing people in other areas of the world? Are we all in this together or is it each country for itself?
What do you think? Ruth Copland gets the views of people on the street for our Out and About feature. Join us on Saturday 8-9 PM! For more info on the show and to hear past shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
