What Does it Mean to be a Citizen of the World?
Global citizenship. The concept that we are all connected goes back to ancient times and was particularly important to the Stoics. But what does it mean to be a citizen of the world?
On the LIVE Without Borders podcast, I dig into the meaning of global citizenship with my friend Kai Whiting, co-author of the book Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In.
Kai is a researcher and lecturer in sustainability and Stoicism, and a fellow citizen of the world. You can chat to him on Twitter. Photo courtesy of Kai.
I’ve lived and traveled abroad for more than 10 years and a comment that I get is, “You don’t seem American.”
And I’ll say, “Where do you think I’m from?”
“I don’t know. I feel like you could be from anywhere. Like you’re from everywhere.”
And I do feel that way. It’s easy for me to feel at home when I arrive at a new place. But being a citizen of the world, or, global citizen, is about more than just feeling comfortable in the places you travel to and live in.
It’s about feeling connected to people on a global level and wanting to do your part for the common good.
For Kai, that now means flying less because of carbon emissions.
“I don't think I’ll be able to go to Australia just because I want to see the Great Barrier Reef,” Kai says. “But let's say somebody in my family got married there and they want me to be there. And then you go, ‘Well, yes.’ Then stay in Australia to do everything in Australia for those three weeks and never go back.”
But Stoicism isn’t so black and white. ‘Kai’s way’ isn’t the only way. Flying might be right for you because you’re doing your part in other ways.
There are no one-size-fits all rules for being a good global citizen and/or Stoic.
“Stoicism is not about a checklist of bad or good. There's a lot of people who want to say, ‘Oh, you’re bad because you fly. Well, no, because you might say, ‘I literally zero everything else so that I can fly. I'm a citizen of the world and I really like talking to other people and I learn that way. I offset my carbon or I do other things. That's the key thing. And so it's not about making excuses, it's about doing what one has to do,” Kai says.
He adds, “It's not about hitting yourself with a hard rope and taking the skin off your back. I think it is about balance. And I think that's what stoicism offers. There's no right or wrong.”
Listen to my episode with Kai to hear our full discussion on being citizens of the world and living according to our principles. Plus, if you’re into ancient ruins, you will love the beginning of our interview, where Kai talks about the research he conducted in Pompeii.