Global Citizenship is not an idea to be trifled with, nor is it a phrase to be carelessly thrown around. It is very real, and very important, especially in this day and age, when the world is a lot smaller place than it used to be.

We have the ability to contact people around the world anytime, anywhere. We can get news from anywhere on the planet in the palm of our hands faster than ever. However, that alone doesn’t make you a global citizen; further, we as a people should strive to become and maintain our global citizenship.

Ironically, many people use the internet and the accessibility of information as a crutch for actually investing in and taking part in global endeavors. Being able to communicate with my friends in Shanghai and Germany is not a valid excuse to call myself a global citizen.

Knowing that people exist outside of your country is a reasonable start, but it is not enough. The world in which we live in is very much an imperfect one, but it can be improved. It is too easy to throw your hands in the air and just give up, but we especially, in a nation like the United States, all have the potential to help improve the condition of life. We have to care about our world, if for no other reason than because we live in it; our friends live in it, our families live in it. This is all of our homes. We can no longer afford to sit back and watch as we as a people slowly destroy the natural world, and wipe out entire species, one after the other. What I’m saying may not be new, in fact it’s quite the opposite, but the message still stands.

Recently, we have elected a new president, one who believes he can make our nation “Great Again.” Our duty doesn’t stop there, as we need to be active participants in our country, as much as in others. Our country is one of the easiest to make a positive contribution in, because there are so many opportunities to do good. Every one of us can make a difference, but together, together we can change the world.

We can reach out to struggling nations, starving families, and share our material wealth. I am not referring to monetary donations, as while better than nothing, it is ultimately much more useful to donate something far more valuable than any monetary value: yourself.

Donating time and labor is more valuable and more useful than money which may or in some cases may never reach its intended recipients. Unfortunately many NGO’s and charity organizations like Red Cross are notably corrupt, and while they undeniably still play an important role, it is not appreciated to its fullest potential. I am also thrilled to be able to say that many of us do make a positive contribution to the world around us.

Many of us do volunteer work either from home, or abroad (Peace Corps, Doctors Without borders, etc.), and even just a couple of months ago many of us formed a protest aimed at our local council who was voting on a controversial anti-discrimination ordinance, which in place will bring our community closer together.

After all is said and done, we have a choice to make. We can choose to become the best global citizens we can, by helping the downtrodden and less fortunate outside of our own nations, by volunteering with organizations committed to improving the quality of life across the planet, or even by traveling and experiencing new cultures in a way that allows you to become connected with a place or a person, that can serve to remind you just how big and diverse our planet really is.

Or, you can choose to stay in your hometown until the day you die, live in a bubble sheltered from the rest of the world, and ultimately be nothing more than one more datapoint in the history books.