Home Random Page


CATEGORIES:

BiologyChemistryConstructionCultureEcologyEconomyElectronicsFinanceGeographyHistoryInformaticsLawMathematicsMechanicsMedicineOtherPedagogyPhilosophyPhysicsPolicyPsychologySociologySportTourism






Wili a world without nations lead to global sameness?

This common concern issues from a faulty premise—that diversity should be based on nationality and ethnicity. The fact is that a world of nations is a world of national homogeneities.

Eight million Saudi Arabians sound and dress alike. Where is the diversity in that?

Several million Bolivians have distinctly similar lifestyles and char­acteristics. Where is the diversity?

Tens of millions of Chinese sound and dress and live more or less alike. Is this diversity?

Is this what we want to perpetuate?

Nationality compels mass conformity to a national image. Inevitably a national profile—a certain sameness—congeals. All Bulgarians-—all Guatemalans—all Laotians have distinct national traits.

Until recently people within most nations all dressed alike—thought alike—had the same fears and hopes and prejudices-—ate the same foods—enjoyed the same music—observed the same holidays—wor­shiped the same gods. They even looked alike.

In fact the more distinctive the national or ethnic "purity" the more predictable the sameness of the people. Visit a slow backwater com­munity anywhere in the world and within just a few days you will be able to predict everyone's reactions and moves.

Globalization is helping blur these rigid blocs of national sameness enabling each individual to respond in its own way to the crosscurrent of world influences.

It is when the Ethiopian or Hungarian or Chinese leaves his or her homeland and lives among other peoples that she or he mutates into an interesting individualistic hybrid.

It is increasingly difficult to identify the origins of the forwardly mobile of the world.

National and ethnic crossovers will accelerate diversity. Certainly for many years to come.

But by around the year 2020 diversity may come full circle and give way to global uniformity. However we need not worry about that.

By the beginning of the new century we will be well on our way to outgrowing the planet itself. We will spread out across the solar system.

Globalism is not a final destination. Only a momentum swing to yet larger worlds.


Date: 2015-02-28; view: 1088


<== previous page | next page ==>
There is much talk these days about the decline of America and American industry. How correct is this? | How Cosmic Are You?
doclecture.net - lectures - 2014-2024 year. Copyright infringement or personal data (0.008 sec.)