Responsible citizenship

During the next couple of hours the world will be holding its breath “watching, waiting and hoping” as a good friend briefly expressed it on Facebook a couple of minutes ago. The election, that seals the next four years of US presidency, has drawn an interestingly high amount of attention from the rest of the world, seemingly and implicit acknowledging that US politics has a significant impact on the rest of world. The current credit-crisis is a good example of the interconnectedness of the world, and especially how US market and regulation can indirectly cause world-wide turbulence. The financial markets have during the day shown high levels of volatility reacting to the interconnectedness, and the European and Asian markets will most likely wake up tomorrow giving fast and frugal judgment to the outcome of the events of the election night. We are interconnected, and the cross-border dependence will only increase in the future. The world knows this. But is the average American voter also aware of this?

Back in 1962 Stan Lee (the writer who gave life to the comic book superhero Spider-Man) wrote “With great power, comes great responsibility”.  The corny-“ness” factor set aside for a moment, this reverbs through current thoughts on business behaviour and has done so for a decade or so. Corporations are slowly realising that they need to take more than just their owners into consideration in decision making, as their actions impact more than just the wallet of their investors.  These corporations are beginning to realise that driving a sustainable business by also being environmental and social aware is demanded from the world around them, including, but not limited to, their customers and the society.

Now the question that arises is whether these customers and the society are aware that responsibility is not only a subject for corporate agendas? As with all political campaigns, the promises and discussions in the US election campaign has evolved around the citizens’ desires and needs, with only a few squeaks of the Super Power’s impact on its environment surfacing. The subject might seem irrelevant, awkward or misplaced in a presidential campaign, but nonetheless seems to signal that there are fewer votes in general responsibility for the surrounding world. Provoking, yes. Speculative, maybe. But it’s is interesting that responsibility only seems like something we impose on others, and not something we strive to achieve in a broader sense.

Personally I hold my breath for the US to go in front and make a responsible choice today. At least by getting out to vote.

My thoughts to all those @ home!