There are many overlapping principles between different philosophies and traditions. Being a good citizen appear as one of those ideas that spreads across ideologies and cultures. The difference might be in the detail of what it means to be a good citizen. Similarly is the idea that actions are more important than intentions. If we want to be good we need to act accordingly in order to be consistent.
Easy to say but difficult to accomplish. Many of us have good ideas about how to solve a problem, how to improve a dire situation but lack the skills to act accordingly. It is known that there are leaders who are explicitly open to advanced ideas about leadership but in practice lack the human touch to communicate with their subordinates what the path should be. Stoicism is one philosophy that helps to put in practice what we preach.
For more that 2000 years Stoic philosophers like Seneca have been giving advice about consistency. Starting with oneself, being critical of one’s feelings and thoughts. Reflecting on the reality of life and on the permanence of change. The only constant in life is change. Even Jesus of Nazareth told his disciples that one is known by one’s actions and that we should avoid “praying in public” to show one’s righteousness just like the hypocrites do. Good actions are, normally, unseen. The way that these good actions are known is by the effects that they cause. It is always that we know of goodness by what is produced. Peace of mind is the product of having been acting virtuously.
For me, it is during my evening meditations that I do an assessment of my daily tasks and evaluate my actions based on what I am supposed to achieve. All in the framework that I am just another member of society, just another human being.
David J Terrell 