Whatever their story, those rugby players were true citizens of Scotland - Ewan Aitken

Scotland players huddle before kick off during the Six Nations international rugby union match between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on February 13, 2021. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

Scotland’s capacity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory remains of world class standard.

Not to take anything away from Wales who showed great determination not to give up when 17-3 down, but Scotland should have won.

Watching the game, I was stuck by the wide variety of ways in which the players qualified to play for Scotland.

From generations of residence, to Scottish grandparents, to qualifying through living in Scotland for three years (this rule has recently changed to five). This variety of routes mean some players are qualified to play for more than one country, yet you could not tell the difference in the commitment to the blue jersey and the Scottish cause from every team member.

Whatever their story, those players were true citizens of Scotland. Citizenship is not necessarily genetic and your genes can make you potentially a citizen of more than one place.

My own children have Scottish, English and Irish heritage in their recent ancestry. It seemed to me, being a citizen of a particular nation is as much a mindset as a statement of genealogy.

This of course, in present times, is dangerous territory.

My reason for mentioning is not to take a view on present political debates, but to explore the idea of what it is to be a citizen, an ancient Greek concept which has evolved in different ways in different cultural contexts.

It is often connected to who was excluded as well as who was included in the protection for those who were citizens by laws and to whom those laws applied.

Slavery in Britain and America was predicated on slaves not being afforded full citizenship, even when they were born in a given jurisdiction.

When the American constitution was first drafted, slaves were described as being equivalent to “three fifths of a citizen”. When slavery was abolished through the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, it was articulated through the language of citizenship. Not creed or colour, not capacity or circumstance, but what it was to be a citizen and the rights and protections which came with citizenship.

It is a precious thing not to be taken lightly. It carries not just rights and protections but also responsibilities. To care for our neighbour and the stranger. To treat others as we would want to be treated. To share what we have so other can have what they need so we all can flourish.

In Cyrenians we base all our work on the building of trusted relationships based on our values of respect, compassion and integrity. It is in the creating of those relationships those we support find in themselves what they need to get to a place of flourishing.

This is especially true for those who find themselves on the edge of society, where they often feel they are seen as less than a full citizen of the city. Being true to the responsibilities of being citizen is to be in relationship with other citizens. It is in our relationships with other citizens that citizenship moves from an idea to a living thing.

It is how we form community. It is, as we saw on Saturday, a team sport.