Globalization

Globalization is a term that I hear frequently in many aspects of my everyday life. To better understand globalization, I felt that it would be best to conduct a little personal research into its true meaning. The term globalization has a futuristic ring to it. I have always found that the best way to look forward is to first look backwards. As we have all heard so many times in our lives, history is cyclical. Although we continually progress, most of the core problems in our society tend to reappear in one form or another.

To further understand the meaning of the term globalization, I opted to first look into the past. I have a favorite dictionary that was given to me by the owner of a company that I still am employed by today. Unfortunately, Mr. Kenneth Haynie Sr. passed away about ten years ago. The Winston College Dictionary that he gave me, which was printed in 1947, did not list the word. The word global was listed and defined as follows, “Sperical; taken as a whole or in a lump; as global tonnage of a navy; pertaining to the world as a whole or to the whole surface of the world; as a strategy of war” (Winston). I can only assume that the fact that this dictionary was written and published shortly after WWII might have had some influence on its definition of this word. Next I looked up this term in my husband’s desk dictionary printed in the seventies, only to find the term global defined succinctly: “Worldwide, comprehensive, general globality.” (Miriam Webster) Finally, I turned to a current dictionary and found the following definition of globalization: “The process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade, increasing the connectivity of the world” (Miriam’s world dictionary 2010). This gave me a better understanding of the term.

I conducted a quick search on the University of Evansville’s library multi-search engine for globalization. The results were overwhelming. This simple entry turned up over 28,000 academic options, over 15,000 electronic journal options, another 35,000 options from JSTOR, over 1,000 options from the New York Times, over 10,000 options from Project Muse, and World Cat offered over 97,000 articles. I would say that over the past thirty or so years the topic of globalization has become a hot topic (Libproxy@evansville.edu).

With this information, I felt that I could now take a closer look at the theory of globalization. Is this really such a new theory, or is it simply newly defined? I am inclined to believe that although globalization is a relatively new term, its meaning is as old as time itself. My first thought is that travel and forms of communication regionally, as well as throughout the world, have existed as long as there has been the any form of life on our earth. We are the newcomers on a planet that has a history yet to be fully discovered.
I have taken a brief look back to about forty million years ago, a time that, as we are now aware, whales were freely swimming in our oceans-perhaps I should say their oceans. Science shows us that these early mammals instinctively migrated over 12,000 miles round trip to ensure their survival. They were certainly successful. Indeed, they are still in existence today. This very early example of globalization shows these mammals fully understood and utilized this entire planet as their home. They only took what they needed for survival and left the rest untouched.

Humans contemplate many questions regarding their race: Where did it all begin, how did we come to be the stewards of this great world of ours, who is responsible to teach us what is best for our world? And finally, what is it really all for? Although these questions are important to ask, more often than not they only complicate our lives. The answers to our questions are all around us. Nobody can really survive as an island, we must connect with others to flourish. It is important that we find ways to use our resources. We must be willing to change and grow with the times to preserve our future. It is necessary that we show respect and take care of our mutual home, because it is the land that we share. If things were as simple as the life of a whale, perhaps our world would be a little less complicated.

As humans we have developed and adapted to our environment socially, physically, economically, and emotionally. We have adopted a variety of beliefs and faiths that are of great importance in our lives as well as an important part of the diversity that makes our world rich with culture. Perhaps we have worked so hard to build and perfect our own cultures that we have lost focus of where we have come from, the human race to which we all belong.

Pointing to our past connections, current studies suggest that the American Cherokee Indians may have migrated to North America as ancient Hebrews. They have been referred to as “The lost tribes of Israel.” The web site www.history.com is currently documenting an ongoing study involving DNA testing. However, the DNA has become so convoluted, making it very difficult to either prove or refute these theories (www.history.com).

I propose that globalization is not as much about the connectivity of our world, but the re-connectivity of our world. We need to find the best way to reconnect for the betterment of all of the citizens in our world. As we have developed cultures and nations in our own right, we have further divided ourselves as a people. Some have grown to be very powerful cultures, while others have maintained a simpler way of life showing a moderate amount of progress.

In order for each of our individual cultures to grow, we have had to organize. Some have become far more complex than others creating strong political systems such as the type of democracy that we as Americans enjoy. Other cultures are very basic, such as a small tribe that organizes with a single leader at a time to protect and preserve their way of life. Each would have established rules and penalties to maintain order and stability. All cultures have a plan to protect themselves against any outside threat. Some use a modern military force, while others resort to less sophisticated procedures to protect the future of their culture.
Globalization is not neutral and unproblematic as many would believe. It stands to reason that as each society grows many see a need for an increased amount of land to not only sustain themselves, but to grow stronger and more powerful. As cultures assimilate they build power. A goal of every society is to have a stronger economy, military, and political system. One society grows at the expense of another resulting in many being left in impoverished, vulnerable conditions, and virtually forgotten by the rest of the world. We all have the responsibility to view the effects of globalization both analytically and critically. We have a responsibility to look beyond the propaganda.

We are not all a part of the same global culture with the same values. It is unfair to diminish less powerful cultures and religions to create a super powerful global culture. Humans disagree, become contentious, and even kill one another over religion. It is wrong to eliminate other religions or to ignore traditions that have been a basis for any civilization. This is necessary to ensure a stronger global economy.

As some nations become more powerful than others, it only stands to reason that a lack of balance regarding opportunities for the citizens of the world is the result. When respect and understanding of other religions and cultures are overlooked, who then can we depend on to ensure that we are each kept free of the manufactured controversies that are created as a result of globalization?

Every successful society has a propensity for discovery and growth. Currently we are faced with wars without end, economic problems, and huge cultural changes within our society. The world economy is changing from industrial, to technological, to global at a very rapid pace. The state of the economy tends to set the tone for the citizens. Real power comes when the natural desire to dominate another culture is curbed. The focus can then be to learn from one another and find better methods of building and improving the quality of life for all people.

In the seventies Coca-Cola, a major international corporation had an advertising campaign depicting people from around the globe singing “in perfect harmony” while sharing a coke and a smile. This is, I believe, to be an unrealistic blending of cultures, not the “real thing.” The reality is that a high and influential number of people refuse to be accepting of others who are different from what they perceive themselves to be. A Hasidic Jew holding hands with an 80 year old rape victim from the Congo, holding hands with a Lakota Indian gang member, holding hands with a severely deformed victim of war, holding hands with an openly gay HIV positive individual, all singing in perfect harmony would be a better representation of true respect and acceptance of one another. In today’s society, we are clearly lacking in this regard.

Our global economy is suffering. It is believed that greed and social imbalance has been a major factor in our current failures. These imbalances have further divided the classes of our world citizens creating an environment of mistrust and blame. Who is feeling the greatest effects of these failures in our world economy? Without a doubt, the poorest of the poor are suffering more than ever before.
In prosperous times most would agree that nearly every progressive society has benefited from the labor of immigrants. According to The Christian Science Monitor, an article entitled Global doors slam shut on immigrants, “The number of people living outside of their country of birth is larger than at any time in history, in part because it has never been easier to communicate and relocate.” “The United Nations Population Division (UNPD) estimated that the world has about 200 million international immigrants. If they created their own country, it would become the fifth largest in the world” (Christian Science Monitor). This is quite remarkable, as so many of the people in our world see themselves as living in a heterogeneous society. Most of us tend to have an innate and somewhat natural propensity to project nativism reflecting a desire to live in a more homogenous society. The article goes on to state, “Much of the resistance to outsiders stems from familiar fears: that immigrants will take jobs, tax services, increase crime, and alter national identities.” (Christian Science Monitor)

Most economist agree that we need immigration. Some say that it is the lifeblood that drives our countries. More often than not, we see a very open sentiment against non-white immigrants. These fears have ebbed and flowed throughout our history. Currently however, we are faced with two major problems; one being that our economy is nearly as bad as it has ever been in modern history, second being that we have the highest number of illegal immigrants within our population than ever in our history.

I recently attended the University of Evansville International Speaker Series presentation of a conversation with Dr. Khaled Hosseini. Dr. Hosseini is the author of the “Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” He was born in Afghanistan and at age eleven relocated to Paris and eventually moved to the United States. I was very impressed by his passion for humanity. He and his family are citizens of the United States, but would love to visit his homeland as a family. Although he travels to Afghanistan to provide humanitarian assistance, he knows that his birth country is very unsafe and chooses to not take his family at this time.

Afghanistan has been wracked by wars for many years. The lack of stability has forced a great number of its citizens to leave the country seeking refuge in nearby nations. As Afghan citizens return to their homeland they are finding themselves exposed to numerous dangers that threaten their very survival. Many are faced with the tragedy of not being able to provide their families the most basic necessity of a roof over their heads. Dr. Hosseini explained that Afghans are very proud and caring people. They love to invite visitors into their homes, no matter how modest their living conditions may be. To share simple cup of tea with good conversation is very meaningful in the Afghan society. Not being able show this simple gesture of kindness is humiliating to them.

In the notes that I took during this conversation with Dr. Hosseini I quoted him as explaining: “Most people would prefer to be in their native homeland if the opportunity existed.” Not being able to fulfill the basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, and a safe place to rest creates a necessity for people to cross boarders and become immigrants. As odd as it may sound, many people think of immigrants as imperialist. This is not a realistic viewpoint. Most immigrants don’t leave the land that is home to take from another their motive is usually for survival. The imperialist are the “Great Nations” that take over and oftentimes wreak havoc on other countries, usually in the name of humanity.

It is easy to see why people are frustrated. When we are faced with high unemployment and poverty rates, most natural or naturalized citizens feel that they should be taken care of first. I propose that we take a look at what it takes to be a great leader. If we are a stronger nation then perhaps we can lift up other nations to be stronger and self sufficient as well.
As listed in the book “Lincoln on Leadership” by Donald T. Phillips, some of Lincoln’s principles for leading with integrity are listed as follows:
* Refrain from reading attacks upon yourself so you won’t be provoked.
* Remember that truth is generally the best vindication against slander.
* Do the very best you know how, the very best you can, and keep doing so until
the end.
* The probability that you may fall in the struggle ought not to deter you from
the support of the cause you believe to be just.
* Give your subordinates a fair chance with equal freedom and opportunity for
success.
* When you make it to the top, turn and reach down for the person behind you.

Leaders lead best when they are servants and when they are willing to give back to others. An effective leader will take the time to completely listen to others, even if others are not comfortable expressing their personal point of view. A truly effective leader will take the time to ask others to fully explore options that can contribute to their collective success. A leader who leads with integrity must be brave and unafraid of confrontation, for integrity shows greatest under pressure (Lincoln on Leadership).

I have faith in mankind, I may not always agree with “the man,” yet ultimately I believe that our world will continue to improve. I am aware that we cannot impose social change, as change has to come from within a society. By being a good example and by sharing the tools that we know will create success, perhaps we can assist in the improvement of our world. Our globality ultimately depends on this. A strong sense of community and an attitude of caring about today and all of our tomorrows can make our world a better place. We are all citizens of the world and that is just as important as being citizens of our own community. Nothing that we do is too small, everything matters. This I believe to be the real thing.