Globalization
and its discontents
Taylor Kelliher
Leah Lippman
12/04/2015
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen - the four most essential elements needed to sustain life. If one were to take the time and discover the source of everything they see around them, they could eventually relate all of it down to the these four simple yet indispensable elements. What is life? That’s easy, it is a process of interaction and integration among carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen molecules driven by an infinite amount of time in which our species can barely ...view middle of the document...
Making a statement such as the one I made above, defining life and what it means for the modern human is at the least, a bold move. However, if you really think about it, what better sentence can encapsulate what we humans consciously do every single day of our lives. We interact and integrate amongst other people, companies, and governments of different nations without even knowing it - fully driven and accelerated by technology and the economy. I personally believe that this idea should be broken down and analyzed, for when one understands something, anything, their ability to make (better) decisions increases. I also believe that understanding Globalization on a much more detailed scale can prove beneficial to anyone that is willing to put in the effort to save our radical species from going extinct. “The first step in solving a problem is to first identify that you have one.†- We have a serious problem, and it is about time you understand what exactly that entitles.
Whether you live on the top of the mountain, or the bottom of the valley, you can clearly see that the world is not flat. That is to say, it is obvious that there is no such thing as a perfect world, inequality and imperfection is an inherent trait within human beings and so the lives we live will also be as such. As for this paper, I want to focus primarily on the negative aspects of Globalization, without of course, dismissing the rightful praise the positive effects deserve. We are more connected with each other than ever before. Thanks to advancements in technology and the desire to belong (empathy), human beings have reached an all time high in terms of connecting with their counterparts anywhere in the world at anytime. We have the ability to come together as a whole for the first time since our genesis, not to say we have done that yet, but the ability to do so is more than readily available. We are starting to see progress in terms of global health, “thanks to concerted global, regional, national, and local efforts, the MDGs have saved the lives of millions and improved the conditions for many more†(United). The term information equals power has been coined throughout the ages and represents the positive outcomes of Globalization quite well. The fact that we can get on our phones (that we have next to us almost 24/7, 365 days of the year) and donate our resources and efforts to a cause halfway around the world is quite remarkable. We can send and receive information that before was silenced and grounded due to distance and borders. In my opinion, at the very core of Globalization, you will find diversity and the absence of homogeneous forces. The fact that the world is more connected than ever before has opened up many new paths for human beings to further expand their curiosity and reach. You could argue, that Globalization is just another step in Darwin's theory of evolution - complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time....
