Throughout history, humans have evolved to be “good” and adaptable. However, the definition of “good” changes as societies develop, and the lens from which one is being viewed also changes. The first biological urge people undergo is the desire to be a good person; generally speaking, homosapiens enjoy the feeling of pleasing and helping others. From the Greater Good Magazine, “Being kind and helpful can make [people] happier [and give] a sense of purpose and meaning.” Then, based on various factors, humans tend to want to be good citizens of their country. This tends to be due to the tribalism and social nature of people. Satisfying both of these ideals can prove harder than it looks. While many similar traits can be found in good people and good citizens, it’s when the two ideologies meet at crossroads that problems arise. These instances make it virtually impossible for individuals to satisfy the requirements of being a good person and a good citizen, despite how much their nature urges them. Fundamentally, a good person can’t always be a good citizen, and a good citizen can’t always be a good person because certain countries' constitutions, laws, and societal guidelines make it utterly impossible to remain both at the same time.

A good person is one that is able to help others even if the outcome doesn't benefit them. It can be a small gesture to a big one, but the goal is to leave the world better than when it was previously. You could throw away trash that was on the street and that would be helping the environment. “...A good person doesn’t have to like everyone, but they are at least kind.” It's important to at least be kind to others because you don't know what someone is going through.

A good citizen is one that is considerate and respectful towards others while also respecting the government by contributing to government and societal activities that improve our well-being like voting. Robert H. Jackson, a former U.S. Attorney General, states, “It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error.” For the government to function, the citizens are what makes it going. On the other hand, the government is what keeps the citizens in order, so there are rules on both sides that each needs to follow. A good citizen follows these rules and cooperates; a good citizen follows without questioning. This allows the government to be able to rule without worry. 

Everyone has their own definition of what being a good person and being a good citizen is, but building up to the point of becoming one is different. Good citizens are created with social pressures, fear, and consistency of the system. An example of using fear to make people conform to the demands of the government can be Hitler’s Germany. He instilled fear and hate in the German citizens to help him carry out his political plan.  “Why the Nazis were able to stay in power” states, “The SS (Schutzstaffel) was originally Hitler’s elite personal body guard.” This was a “secret police'' that went around and hurt anyone that disagreed with his ideas. This caused panic as well as fear towards the people ultimately leading to his orders to be obeyed. From the perspective of the German government under Hitler’s regime, Nazi soldiers, people who were part of the secret police, and also regular citizens who followed his orders, were examples of good citizens. 

On the other hand, a good person is made during childhood by the influence and presence of others. In “5 Essential Factors for Raising Resilient Kids,” it states, “Children learn both healthy and maladaptive behaviors from observing those around them… Psychological behavior, like positive attitude or taking things in stride, are also learned by example.” Many kids have a role model while growing up, and most of the time it’s their parents. What the parents do makes the kids want to follow, and so it's important for parents and even other adults around to be respectful and act like a good person. There is a constant debate between nature and nurture and how they contribute to a child’s behavior. “The Twins in Early Development Study (TEDS) revealed correlations between twins on a range of behavioral traits…” Studies with twins that live in different environments demonstrates a strong resemblance in their personality, but still with the nurture of growing up differently, it changes a child in the way they will act versus if they were raised in the same place.

Humans naturally have agreed to do better than others but what ties a good person and a good citizen is that they have to do something in order to be good. A good citizen is someone that is benefiting the government. For example, by not voting, they aren't contributing politically for the government. Though it might not seem like a huge deal to vote, one vote could change the outcome. An example given is “The Power of One Vote” presidential election in 1824 when Andrew Jackson won the “... presidential popular vote but lost by one vote in the House of Representatives to John Quincy Adams after an Electoral College dead-lock.” 1 vote had made a difference in who won the election. If more people voted, Andrew Jackson could have won, and so it shows how important it is to contribute to be a good citizen. Being a good citizen also comes with responsibility. To be a good person you have to help someone or something. The difference between these two lies on the factor that being a good citizen is doing good for the government, while being a good person is someone that is caring for others more or at least the same amount as they care about themselves.

In the world, there will always be good people, but living in a society, it creates the mind to swift and it leads people to blend while taking in the society’s ideas, through social pressure, which ultimately causes there to be more good citizens. Having a balanced amount of both so that an idea can’t be overrun will equalize the power that each side has. A good citizen isn't always a good person and a good person isn't always a good citizen. Good citizens are those that follow Leaders without question, even if something feels off. If you are a good citizen, not everyone will see you as one. Some might see it as different. For example, North Korea is led by one leader that has all the control, although it is supposed to be a “communist” place where everyone is equal. We see that there is a big difference between the leader and the followers. For the followers, they are good citizens for following the orders of the leader. On the other hand, when my friends and I observe what happens there, we find interesting things that people either have to do everything they are told, or they end up getting suspicion placed upon them. “A North Korean woman is under investigation after saving her 2 kids from a house fire — but not her portraits of the Kim family” article states how an “…unnamed woman saved her two kids from the burning home, but is now being treated with suspicion for not going back in to get the portraits of North Korea's former leaders.” This brought curiosity to both my friends and me. This showed us that In North Korea, the former leaders had to be put first rather than others' safety, and it also led us to see how North Koreans need to have a self-portrait of the leaders. On the other hand, the mother was being a good person to try and help her children out of the fire. Based on point of view, while one part of the world is seen as loyal citizens, the other part of the world might see it differently and could think that they are people that have to follow the rules placed upon them or else they get in trouble. 

I believe being a good person should be intertwined with being a good citizen. There needs to be a sense of balance to be able to have the world move smoothly. Whether someone is a good citizen or a good person is based on the perspective from which one is looking. Different places are ruled differently and a huge visual is North Korea and Germany. North Korea is still a communist society and they have to be good citizens by listening to rules that are placed against them. Hitler's Rule in Germany also can show how the people in Germany were being good citizens even if that meant crossing basic human rights just to please the “leader” like killing innocents. In the eyes of the rulers of Germany before and North Korea, people could be seen as good citizens, but from the other nations’ point of view, they can be seen as brainwashed cruel people.

Bibliography 

“5 Essential Factors for Raising Resilient Kids.” Live Happy, www.livehappy.com/relationships/5-essential-factors-for-raising-resilient-kids. Accessed 30 June 2022. 

Bartkiewicz, Drew. “MentalFlow: 15 Simple Traits Of A Truly Good Person.” MentalFlow, 28 May 2021, mentalflow.co/mentalhealth/2020/11/9/15-simple-traits-of-a-truly-good-person.

Collman, Ashley. “A North Korean Woman Is under Investigation after Saving Her 2 Kids from a House Fire — but Not Her Portraits of the Kim Family.” Insider, 10 Jan. 2020, www.insider.com/north-korean-mom-investigated-didnt-save-kim-portraits-in-fire-2020-1.

“Fear and State Terrorism - Why the Nazis Were Able to Stay in Power - Higher History Revision.” BBC Bitesize, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zgtyvcw/revision/3. Accessed 30 June 2022. 

“How Helping Others Can Help At-Risk People.” Greater Good, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_helping_others_can_help_at_risk_people. Accessed 30 June 2022.

Mcleod, Saul. “Nature vs. Nurture in Psychology.” SimplyPsychology, 20 Dec. 2018, www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html#:%7E:text=Nature%20is%20what%20we%20think,and%20learning%20on%20an%20individual.

“The Power of One Vote | Middleton, MA.” Middleton Massachusetts, middletonma.gov/303/The-Power-of-One-Vote. Accessed 30 June 2022. 

V, Ryan. “What Is a Good Citizen.” 2000-2010, technologystudent.com/PDF_PSE1/citizen3a.pdf.