Reflective Assignment 1

Lysander D. Suerte Jr

Global Citizenship (Section 602)

Professor Linda Brown

Fall 2023
 Page |1

How has your sense of who you are been shaped by your environment (social institutions) and various
ideological beliefs? Being born and raised in my home country, the most influential ideology that shaped
who I am today is more on the moral ideologies my parents thought me, the religious ideologies the
church guided me since childhood and the economic ideologies that help our society work to maintain
social order. According to the article, “our identity is influenced long before we are even conceived” (Y
Studio, 2020). First, the moral ideologies start at home where you can get a grasp on what is the basic
right and wrong. For example, our parents molded us since childhood on how we should act as a human
being inside and outside of the household which some values are passed down through generations.
Secondly, being part of the Catholic church encourages everyone on how to live a joyful and fruitful life
in accordance with the teaching of the bible. Since birth, the church has different progression that guides
a person in their spiritual journey until they get to a certain age where they get married, and the cycle
begins with the baby. Lastly, the government that I grew up in revolves on democracy. It gave me the
insights on how equality and freedom is empowered by being part of this social order. We grew up in a
society that we feel we have the power to what we aspire to be and have the democratic views in most
social gatherings. Therefore, these ideologies really help me, to be a credible participant in the society
where I view different ideas, beliefs and people and develop and better understanding on things.

How is your identity connected to characteristics of global citizenship? Explain by discussing a social
issue that personally concerns you. Being part of a multicultural society, one must be adaptable and
sensitive to different cultural experiences. My personal identity is connected to the characteristics of
global citizenship in such a way that I know different people carries different stories, beliefs and values of
their own. For example, we may or may not be able to always get along with people but when we
understand that once we breach the language and cultural barriers we can better communicate and be
part of something bigger. In addition, we may be able to learn more about different cultures that it will
seem like your own. As a global citizen, what strikes people more about the common social issues are
discrimination. According to the article, the author mentioned “the responsibility to understand the
ways in which the peoples and countries of the world are inter-connected and interdependent” (Global
Citizen Initiative Organization). Every day we encounter people being discriminated because of their
race, age, and gender mostly. This is a common issue especially with people with color or coming from
different social status in life. Although it doesn’t happen to everyone, with what we see in everyday life
and in social media it is important that we are self-aware of our own actions so that we never make
anybody feel discriminated in any way.
 Page |2

References

Global Citizenship Initiative Organization. https://www.theglobalcitizensinitiative.org/what-it-means-to-

be-a-global-citizen-2/

Y Studios. July 2, 2020. What Factors Really Influence Identity.

https://ystudios.com/insights-people/influence-on-identity