John Locke essay Experience

Over the summer I took part in the John Locke Global Essay competition for the Junior division. The topic I had chosen was: "Your citizenship at birth was chosen for you. Which citizenship would you have chosen?" This essay had a total of 63,328 participants in the whole contest including the junior division.  In August I was notified that I was shortlisted in the Junior division, and today I received the official certificate and with it I was awarded the title of "Very High Commendation". This title is awarded to the top 1% in each division which is equivalent to the top 10 excluding the three winners. It was a valuable experience. The research and writing took about 2 months total. Below is my essay.

 Q1. Your citizenship at birth was chosen for you. Which citizenship would you have chosen?

Imagine that you could time travel back and land in the Agora of ancient Athens a really

long time ago, a bustling place filled with scents of many things boiling and roasting. You can

hear sounds of debating as merchants advertise their goods to passersby, philosophers argue

over the newest ideas, and the soft music of a lyre wafts through the warm air. Dust floats

around the sandals of citizens strolling between pillars of the really huge space; the laughter of

citizens mixes with smells of citrus and ringing pottery. This sounds like what we would call a

mall but in the modern day people are not as active, they do not stop to socialize as much as

these people. This is what the citizens do many times on the weekends when they are carefree and have time off. This offers every citizen participation towards the core of responsibility and community in the bright sunlight where things don't seem like they can go wrong. Citizenship possessed a different meaning in the past compared to now in the present. It now centers around the idea of residing in a locality, it once preferred active involvement, contribution, and shared responsibilities. Male citizens had a right to vote and voice their opinions as they wished, yet they were also expected to contribute many services and benefits to society. 

The participation of voting echoes ideals laid down by John Locke (1632–1704), a philosopher in England. He is famous for his views on natural rights, government by consent only, and the

social contract which wasn't big at the time. He also wrote a book called Two Treatises of

Government which he used to help shape the basis of modern democracy. I think that if I did

have the choice of what citizenship I would be born with I would choose Sweden. In some

sense, I think that this classical view of citizenship continues to influence modern societies,

shown in Sweden, a country of strong democratic ideals and social consciousness. Sweden has really good health care, excellent schools, and a political system in which every citizen is

supposed to contribute his or her part. The nation has a remarkably high voter turnout ranging

from 80 to over 87 percent in recent decades reflects a modern embodiment of civic

engagement and shared responsibility (“Voter Turnout of National Parliamentary Elections in

Sweden”). 

Some historians think that citizenship first started in ancient Greece. It was a far less complicated idea than most modern day systems. In Athens, for example, citizens were typically the adult males with Athenian-born parents. In many places today we have advanced from this because at that time women and slaves were not considered citizens but now we do not have slaves mainly and in most countries women are treated as nearly equal and people’s gender epistemology is slowly changing for the better. The ideology was that in this case men were superior and were capable of making these higher class decisions. Limited as it was, however, this ancient idea of citizenship already contained a very powerful ideal— humans could belong to and identify with a political community. Before Ancient Greece, humans were generally part of kingdoms or tribes where power was transmitted by heredity or through conquest and there wasn't any switching or experiencing other tribes lifestyles, it was more of you staying where you were born and that's where you would always belong. Although this means that you technically have a more stable lifestyle you also cannot explore or grow out of the set limits of your group. 

As political philosopher John Locke articulated, "he that has once given his consent to be of any commonwealth, is perpetually and indispensably obliged to be and remain unalterably a subject to it" (Two Treatises of Government 408). This quote means that citizenship is not meant to represent only a legal status but more importantly a bond to society. Many times it takes a long process to gain citizenship unless it is birthright but if someone goes

through the struggle of gaining citizenship or they are raised in a certain place they will still feel

committed towards it. Many nations allow dual citizenship which I would find important in making a decision on my citizenship. Despite such distinctions, the underlying principle is identical: citizenship involves belonging to and laboring for a shared identity (Center for Immigration Studies). Joseph H. Carens at the Center for Immigration Studies addressed it when he stated that citizenship is a legal status yet also "an emotional and moral commitment to a nation" based on shared values, involvement, and loyalty, not just papers or processes (Center for Immigration Studies).

However, some governments have not fairly, justly treated their people. John Locke

warned against governments founded on force rather than consent feeling that these are not

good in the long run. According to Locke, in Treatises II, 1, 4, "all governments in the world are

merely the product of force and violence, and that men live together by no other rules than that

of the beasts, where the strongest carries it… " (Locke 1). Opposed to the violent governments Locke so much described are those of countries like Sweden, where political institutions have been created on the ideas of cooperation, equality, and mutual responsibility. This makes citizenship meaningful and productive. Some duties to the country include abiding by the law, understanding the way the government operates, and actively sustaining that.

The most compelling reason I would choose Swedish citizenship is the excellent quality of life with really strong support systems. Sweden is known by many as one of the world's

happiest countries, due to the country’s efforts prioritizing equality and comprehensive social

welfare. Swedish care is extended to all the citizens at minimal or no cost, which enables people to visit physicians, receive treatment, and get preventive care without enduring/confronting financial burdens. The system is not only focused on disease curing but on maintaining well-being and public health. Data from Sweden’s health profile in 2023 shows that "Sweden's health system performs well on many indicators, including access to care, quality of services, and population health outcomes, supported by high public spending and strong governance"(Sweden: Country Health Profile 2023). 

Those ideals underpinning such an approach align with the political philosophy espoused by John Locke, who argued that governments exist to protect the basic rights of citizens and set out "Political power, then, I take to be a right of making laws… for the public good of the society" (Two Treatises of Government 287). Therefore, Sweden's public services demonstrate a government acting not in the minority's interest but in the common interest of its citizens. For me, this type of system represents extreme respect for human dignity and ensures a good foundation for a secure and satisfying life. One of the best reasons to obtain Swedish citizenship is the access to its highly acclaimed education system. Education is mainly free which gives an equal chance to all children to become something great and leaves the responsibility of it happening mainly on their wish to grow and their family and peers to encourage them. 

The Organisation for EconomicCo-operation and Development (OECD) states that the dropout rate is among the lowest globally which also means that throughout the country students are more dedicated and feel challenged to their standards, setting them up for further education. Swedish schools focus on being creative, collaborating, and critical thinking over testing which fits my vibe for studying and learning, focusing on developing students not merely educated but motivated citizens. As a person that prefers to keep learning new things daily, Sweden appears to be the most appropriate setting for my goal. However, Swedish citizenship is not all about service provision, but rather a mutual obligation between the individual and society. Citizenship demands active involvement in the life of a polity, obedience to the law, and accountability to the community, principles invoking philosopher John Locke's claim that "The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom" (Locke). Swedish society is a reflection of this principle because it uses its institutions and law to enable, rather than limit, individuals, making its citizenship not only desirable but highly significant (OECD).

Sweden’s citizenship model demonstrates how citizen-focused government models

centered on equality, collaboration, and civic responsibility build strong and healthy societies. If other countries modeled the same principles, it could contribute to a more equitable democracy model and engage citizens with similar structures of education in play. Additionally, once the focus expands beyond national borders, these same ideas give rise to thinking as global citizens, encouraging every person to realize that we should transform the world into a better place for all. Although it is obvious that you cannot change a whole nations epistemology to match your own, you can choose a nation best for you and for me that nation would be Sweden. Citizenship is not only a legal status but also a commitment to be accountable for how we contribute towards our community becoming a more just and connected world.

Bibliography

Center for Immigration Studies.

www.cis.org. Accessed June 2025.

“What It Means to Be a Citizen.

” Center for Immigration Studies,

Locke, John. Two Treatises of Government. Edited by Peter Laslett, Cambridge University

Press, 1988.

OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2023), Sweden: Country Health

Profile 2023,https://doi.org/10.1787/ec938a6d-en. Accessed 26 June 2025

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

“Education Policy Outlook:

Sweden.

” OECD, www.oecd.org/education/policyoutlook/sweden.htm. Accessed June 2025.

Uzgalis, William.

"John Locke.

" Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N.

Zalta, Fall 2023 Edition, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/

"Voter Turnout of National Parliamentary Elections in Sweden from 1970 to 2022.

" Statista,

Sept. 2022,

www.statista.com/statistics/912813/voter-turnout-of-national-parliamentary-elections-in-sweden/.

Accessed 29 June 2025.