Civic sense: a fundamental social contract |
A society is not merely a collection of buildings, roads, individuals and institutions. A true society is shaped by the behaviours people adopt toward one another. Where individuals create ease for others, apply the law to themselves and consider social order their own responsibility, a city ceases to be just a "place" and becomes a "community". This attitude is called civic sense - and in truth, civic sense is not an extra virtue; it is the fundamental contract of urban life.
This contract is not written, yet it is renewed every day on the streets, in offices, in classrooms, and in marketplaces. Its essence is simple: we will not place our convenience above others' safety, dignity and rights. We will not treat the road as "mine", but as "ours".
We will not see the law as something only for the weak, but as equally binding upon ourselves. We will accept that breaking queues does not make us faster; it makes society slower. We will not throw garbage and........