TT On-The-Go
TT Feed
| How to promote the culture of citizenship |
|
 |
 |
 |
Font Size 
 After a lapse of a short while, the bus comes at last and as it is rush hour, some people, without respecting other’s rights, push forward by cramming into the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses. Those in the queue ask their fellow citizens to observe the others’ rights, but it falls on deaf ears. Sometimes there is a quarrel between passengers and they exchange curses against one another. Inside the bus verbal curses may continue. At the same time, young passengers sit idly without caring to stand up and offer their seats to elderly people. In rare cases, the youths don’t even bother to offer their seats to older patients. It seems that this sort of social behavior has emerged among citizen’s culture in recent decades. Mistreatment existed before, but not to such a great extent. As far as the glorious history of Iran shows, the elderly were never disrespected; they have always been treated respectfully in the course of history as they deserve, while their status among the people was at the highest level. Unfortunately, however, today in a metropolis like Tehran, some young people treat in such a way that in some cases they exchange verbal curses with older people, which is not tolerated by the majority of people any longer, for in the recent past both sides respected each other, as it has been one of the great traditions of Iranians. The young generation should understand that our homeland has a rich cultural heritage, and our literary treasure has been preserved in the enriched books by celebrated classical and contemporary poets and writers. According to sociologists, man is a social creature; it is inevitable for man to have a common social life with his fellow beings. In modern times, life has a complicated arrangement and the conflict of interests is natural. Psychologists emphasize a constructive and positive relationship with relatives so as to prevent mental illness. They are of the opinion that to be isolated from friends and relatives would bring about psychological problems for the individual. A sociologist, Mohammad Ali Lotfi, says the fundamental duty of every citizen is to observe others’ rights, to avoid meddling in other people’s affairs, and to prevent the destruction of the environment and public properties. Possible solutions for mistreatment Now, the question is: Who is responsible for such an unsocial behavior and mistreatment? One cannot blame these social disorders on any individual or social group. Perhaps the emergence of such treatment stems from current socio-political policies of the government and, indeed, the people are suffering from many problems these days which have their roots in unemployment and inflation, which can be intolerable for the vulnerable classes of society. According to a parliamentary ratification, the government must allocate $2 billion to the development of metro in Tehran and other large cities to facilitate the inner city transportation. However, the government has so far resisted implementing the parliamentary approval. Moreover, mass media, such as radio and television and the press, should train people to behave as civilized citizens. Meanwhile, the people should also know that a violation of others’ rights is forbidden in Islam. Children must also be familiarized with the rich culture of their homeland to demonstrate a socially and culturally acceptable behavior. The codes of a civilized behavior should also be included in textbooks.
  Socialize this Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in touch and receive all of TT updates right in your feed reader
|
|
| Last Updated on 08 August 2011 15:37 |