We Should All Be Global Citizens

Dear Beloved Readers,

Happy New Year!

I hope you enjoyed the holiday season.

Hopefully, you were able to take a breather from your usual schedule and enjoy some quality time with the people you love and care about.

I am praying that 2023 will be kind to you. May it be a productive year filled with holistic health and endless blissful laughter!

At this time, I want to kick-start this year with a post on global citizenship as an opportunity to remind you and new blog supporters about this platform. Being a Third Culture Kid is a social and informal blog that seeks to illuminate the experiences and significance of Third Culture Kids. Hence, it strives to empower people with Third Culture Kids background, also known as Global Citizens, to take up space in the world and demonstrate to those around them how to discover the beauty in every country, culture, and people of the world. Additionally, it encourages them to share their experiences as they enjoy the real gems that exist in every corner of the world and how global citizenship is the single currency of the world.

Today, the world is undoubtedly more interconnected and interdependent than ever. Thanks to technological advances, the world sometimes feels smaller than it was a century and even a decade ago. Bearing this in mind, this post explores the importance of global citizenship in today’s world.

What role do global citizens play in this globalized era? This is the overall question that guides the post.

St. John’s University Visit

Me standing in front of the university’s television, Film, and Radio Center.

In November, I made two trips to New York to learn about a couple of opportunities and meet with some people. While there, I visited St. John’s University in Queens, New York. One of the people I connected with at the university is Basilio Monteiro, an Associate Dean Professor for Graduate Studies and Research for the Department of Mass Communication. He teaches courses on Mass Media, Public Diplomacy and Peacebuilding courses, and the Impact of Media on Human Rights and Development.

I was honored to visit one of his graduate classes as a guest speaker. This particular course was on Intercultural Communication with a focus on the Political Economy of Media and Communication. Previously, Dr. Monteiro had a guest speaker discuss Ellon Musk’s phenomenon from a macroeconomic perspective.

Me speaking with the Intercultural Communication graduate class in the white turtle-neck shirt.

The day I visited the class, the topic was the intersection of globalization, communication, and peace. So, I shared my experience growing up as a third culture kid with the class and how it has shaped my lifestyle and view of the world and its people. I emphasized that global citizens are key in mitigating violent conflicts and building a more peaceful and balanced world. The students were attentive, and we had a lively, stimulating discussion about the importance and meaning of global citizenship. I was inspired by the conversation and wanted you to get an idea of what was discussed through Dr. Monteiro’s perspective. His personal and professional background, as well as his academic interests, is quite intriguing. Therefore, I wanted to share his perspective on globalization with you because it fits very well with what the Being a Third Culture Kid platform is all about.

Interview with Dr. Basilio Monteiro, Professor of Mass Communication

Basilio G. Monteiro, Associate Professor of Mass Communication at St. John’s University

What is a global citizen, and what does being a global citizen mean?

Global citizenship is a state of mind. When we think of citizenship, we usually conflate it with belonging to a nation-state with specific rights and duties. We can think of global citizenship in a much broader way; I would call it a much more “liberated” way. We belong to planet Earth – today, we feel our skin’s global climate consequences. Nation-states, citizenships, and sovereignty are artificial constructs developed over the millennia to govern the ever-complex society.

A global citizen has a mental space to welcome anyone with respect and curiosity. Consequently, A global citizen respects different cultures and sees value in them.

How did you become a global citizen?

My education in four different countries and on three continents was the beginning of the opening of global citizen mental space. My intellectual curiosity is to know, understand people, and see value in all corners of the world. I enjoy traveling to learn, not tourism, and spending a lot of time in the villages of the countries I travel to.

Also, as a perennial sociology and anthropology student, I enjoy languages. I am proficient in some, and others have enough working knowledge to get me by. When I travel to a country, I try to learn common phrases people use.

What has your experience as a global citizen been?

Indeed, it has been marvelous. I am much “richer” in “global” understanding and knowledge of people worldwide.

What are the pros and cons of being a global citizen?

I do not see any “cons” in global citizenship, as I understand it as a mental disposition. Whereas, the “pros” are inexhaustible. I enjoy the “restless curiosity” in search of knowledge.

Global Citizenship is a Disposition

Is there a difference between your interaction with “non-global citizens” and global citizens? If yes, what are the differences?

Not all individuals born and lived in many countries are necessarily “global citizens.” As I indicated above, global citizenship is not about having legal citizenship” in many countries. Rather, global citizenship is an attitude. To answer your question: some individuals, despite being migrants from multiple countries, remain very parochial. While some individuals who are mono-citizens have a much better disposition to be open and curious about other countries and cultures and have profound respect for these cultures.

How do others, particularly non-global citizens, relate to you?

The so-called “non-global citizens” usually are eager to visit, travel, and learn from other countries. Often they get caught up in tourism instead of traveling and learning about the countries they visit. They need guidance and education for this reason.

Every part of the world is ours to live in and care for.

Is the way you relate to people, places, and things different because of your global citizenship status?

It is NOT my Global Citizen status, but my attitude, disposition, and mental space. Yes, I would like to believe that people respond to me the way they do because of my global citizen attitude. I certainly enjoy meeting people and learning from them.

Would you say that you respond to global events, such as the war in Ukraine and Congo, human rights protests in Iran, Black Lives Matter movement in the US, differently from your non-global citizens’ counterparts? How so?

Yes, I have a global and larger historical perspective. Human history is replete with brutality. What is happening today is nothing new. Knowledge of history is very important.

What would you change if you could change something about your experience as a global citizen? Or maybe not change? Or experience more of? Of course, I would not change anything. I want to keep learning; human history and lives are very complex.

Should everyone be a global citizen?

Is Global Citizenship Attainable? Should this be desired?

Yes, today than ever before, everyone must be a global citizen in the way I described above: an attitude of global citizens embracing the planet. With the disaster of climate change looming over humankind, we must develop an intense sense of belonging to the planet Earth, where there are no boundaries and no nation-state-based sovereignty.

How do you become a global citizen?

It is an interesting question. Since global citizenship is not a legal construct, one does not deal with state sovereignty issues. There is no global citizen passport issued by any entity. Global citizenship is simply one’s ATTITUDE and DISPOSITION to be open-minded and willing to create a mental space for the globe and all its species.

Can you acquire global citizenship intentionally? What are the ways to do so? Especially for adults who didn’t have the opportunity to while younger?

Acquiring global citizenship? Well, one cannot acquire global citizenship through a legal process. Educate oneself, be open-minded, and be curious about the world and its people. Everyone has something good to contribute to the greater good. Global citizenship is about creating a mental space for the globe.

“This picture, in some ways, represents my disposition towards all species… “said Dr. Monteiro.

What are two or three last things you would like the world to know about you as a global citizen?

I enjoy engaging people in different parts of the world and learning from them. People have much to teach, and all people are inherently good.

What is your charge to my readers as a global citizen?

It is important for them to have an open mind and heart, be willing to learn from others who live in the peripheries, and respect everyone, even if it is difficult to understand and absorb.