Pulitzer Prize winning foreign affairs columnist, and author of The Lexus and the Olive Tee, Thomas L. Friedman, gives insight into the international system in the world today that has come about as a result of what he calls the Democratization of Technology, Finance and Information. This new worldwide system is referred to as Globalization. In understanding the new Global system Friedman explains that "Globalization has replaced the Cold War system with the integration of capital, technology, and information across national borders" ?uniting Brazilian peasants, Indonesian entrepreneurs, Chinese villagers, and Silicon Valley technocrats in a single global village."? Friedman uses the metaphor of the Lexus as a symbol of modern prosperity and the Olive Tree to symbolize our cultural values that give us a frame work to live by and understand by. Referring to the Olive Tree, Friedman takes a pragmatic view of human tribal instincts explaining, "Whether it be belonging to a family, a community, a tribe, a nation, a religion, or most of all a place called home... We fight so intensely at times over our olive trees because, at their best, they provide the feelings of self-esteem and belonging that are as essential for human survival as food in the belly. (Therefore, Friedman asserts) the nation-state will never disappear, even if it does weaken, because it is the ultimate olive tree."? We forget that Democratization is a process. We keep looking at democratization as an "event"? like the fall of the Berlin Wall, but it's actually a process that takes time. It is unfair to expect countries (that aren't born out of our history and sense of shared purposes) to suddenly become democracies because they decide to say they are. Or we decide they will be, such as in Iraq. This would sound like a plan for failure. In the case of Iraq, I hope they will have the help and support of a community of nations to restore peace and create a democratic order. Expecting countries with traditional governments, however, whose goal was formerly to control the economy, to suddenly become Democracies overnight is unrealistic! Without continued help by the U.S. and international support, the lofty goal of turning Iraq into an oasis of democracy is an arrogant (unrealistic and unobtainable) goal that will lead to a vicious cycle of negative expectations regarding democracy that will determine Iraq's destiny as a nation. Democracy emerged in Europe and the United States during the 1700 and 1800s through a developed, shared sense of higher values that I termed Living Goals. Living Goals aren't governed by the Laws of Newtonian Mechanics or of Physics, nor can they be used to calculate, predict or control the future in any specific way. Instead they are the foundation for a higher, non-linear process that allows life to emerge in meaningful, self-sustaining ways, in a complex world, over time. In other words, Living Goals have a life and a destiny of their own! Globalization is a Living Goal that has a very complex life of its own that we can't control even if we wanted to. Why is it a Living Goal? Because it will bring with it an era of enlightenment born out of a shared desire for freedom (access to capital, information, and technology) that will transcend national boundaries. This is the passion that has the potential to fuel the continued spread of democracy throughout the world, as more and more countries and individuals begin to see that they have a stake in the Global system. But this process is not an event one can easily control. It is more like growing a garden over time, a lot can go wrong. I can't calculate that by taking a tomato out of my beautiful garden and throwing it into my neighbor's yard it will naturally produce a beautiful garden there, regardless of how much fertilizer I throw over the fence with it. However, because my neighbor will be able to calculate its trajectory when he kicks the tomato back over the fence, I might want to be prepared to duck! The point I'm making is there's only so much we can control! It's arrogant to believe we have special powers we just don't have. It's also arrogant to ignore the power we do have to live a purposeful life grounded in Living Goals, and to follow through with specific choices that support this a declared higher purpose. But it doesn't make sense to start with a specific goal that sounds good today and assume that later we'll be able to associate it with a higher law! Living Goals, as I term them, set a course based on planning and faith as opposed to picking up the pieces after they have already fallen. |
