Should there be something curious about revolutions is that, it doesn't matter how eager we were to make them happen, we are never as ready to deal with its consequences as we thought we were. Globalisation can be another example of this, just like the invention of gunpowder, paper or the printer were in their times.
There are people who even wonder whether we need to take care of it or not at all.
So let's start with a fast review of what globalisation is. Globalisation is an economic, political and social phenomenon that started in the early 1990s and involved people around all the planet. Globalisation was triggered by the fall of communism, by the fast-paced technological improvements of those years and by the hegemony western countries got over the economic decisions of the world, based on their own economic and scientific power.
Globalisation was impulsed by the new access to information the Internet gave, and terms such as 'global village' and 're-engineering' were coined to summarize the hundreds of improvements we have seen and lived during those years.
Like every revolution, however, globalisation came with dozens of social consequences that have not been addressed in full yet. Not dealing with them properly can bring unwanted consequences in the future years, and this is what this article attempts to point out. Among them, for example:
+ Our new 'universality' brings us stress. Pagers, years ago, and mobile phones today have made us absolutely reachable and available for everybody, all the time. This is very useful on the one hand, but on the other it prevents us from having the moments of relax we all need to renew ourselves. As a consequence, the rate of stress has soared in the last two decades both for men and women.
+ A globalised market threatens our job. These days, companies that in the beginning were small like Hotmail, Yahoo, YouTube or Google have proven that a good idea can become a monster and devour the rest, including the hundreds of hours of efforts of other big and small companies that did not have their bunch of luck, and thousands of people who can potentially lose their jobs in a matter of days or weeks. This is enhancing fear, promoting enraged competition and deepening the gap between rich and poor people.
+ Our overrated individuality brings us both uncertainty and fear. The fact globalisation has opened the frontiers, shrunk the world and provided every individual the chance of doing whatever he wants has boosted loneliness and made the common person wonder 'OK, if I can do everything I want, what should I do first?'. As a consequence, globalisation's overrated individuality has damaged the respect of traditional roles of law and authority, and left youngest generations without a proper guide of correct behaviour.
We are in times in which you have the right to do everything you want, in which you can get a new right approved in short time in a given congress, and in which the most important values are being annulled.
Consequently, the lack of values such as respect and admiration have broken the role of leadership and new leaders become only puppets asked to lead for a short time. For instance, the suicide of Kurt Cobain or the failure of Ronaldo in the final game versus France in 1998 can be understood as two milestones of this behaviour: They were two humans who were great in one thing, they were two men surrounded by millions of followers who wanted to be like them, and they were two people who succumbed under the pressure of knowing themselves less than what the entire world was expecting from them.
The new generation needed a path for reaction, so they choose one: They adapted to the new reality that was in front of their eyes, following the new models instead of creating own ones. A big mistake? Probably:
+ Now it is normal to see in popularity one of the greatest mechanisms to establish superiority and respect (direct influence of the 1990s advertising trend)
+ Now it is normal to impose your position even against the other person's will (direct influence of corporative behaviour between companies during the 1990s)
+ Now it is licit to confirm your position even through violence, to run over others if it is convenient for you, or to use violence as a way to protest against what you consider unfair (direct influence of the war caused by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s, the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies and the subsequent murder of Saddam Hussein a few years ago, and the attack to the World Trade Centre in the 2001)
+ Now it is normal for teens to engage in irresponsible sexual activities because sensuality is everywhere (direct influence of the 1990s' advertising trend)
...among others.
Curiously, all these trends come from what Western society and culture has involuntarily imposed to the rest of the world.
Have these influences approached people to happiness? No. Western culture (by itself) has failed to bring us a better world for everyone, so it is time to start looking for other sources to supplement its very useful contributions.
Which ones? I would like to see the influence of the traditional Asian respect for traditions and the importance they give to family, honour and respect. I would like to see the elegance, courage, high culture and refinement eastern European people have traditionally shown. I would like to see the tenderness, worshipfulness and solidarity Latin American cultures have had even before Inca times. I would like to see the friendliness and love for nature African cultures have traditionally had too.
We both know they are much more than just stereotypes. Actually, they can make the world much more interesting.
Thinking about getting your economics degree? An online college can be a great place to get a bachelors degree fast and will prepare you for a great career.
Heptagrama, the web summed up.
Some rights reserved.
Arts and expression + Opinion
