Lesson 3d - End of Lesson 3

When you think about it, in almost every aspect of our lives we are responding to globalization. Buying bananas grown in Ecuador is a response to globalization; chatting online with someone who you've never actually met is also a response. By living in the time we are living in now, almost everything we do is a response to globalization, either in the past or happening now.



Our communities today consist of more people than would have ever been possible before, because of the many means of communication and travel that are available to us. Our internet buddies are part of our community, as well as family, friends, and other citizens of both the global community and the smaller ones that we build our houses and lives in. When we log on to check our messages on a web site in the morning, we are responding to globalization by using one of the results of worldwide connectivity. But how MUCH should we respond? I think that, in this area, by using the Internet to expand your community, you can also expand your knowledge and friend base. Therefore, I think that it would be possible to go overboard and live your entire life on the web, but I also think it can be fun and informative to have friends that live across the oceans.

Organizations, governments, and everyday consumers all have ways of responding to globalization, and even making a difference in the lives of others affected negatively by it. If big organizations such as transnationals or governments can make a big difference if they decide they need to change a law or improve the quality of life for certain people or a society. We can also work through our governments if we feel strongly about a certain issue by bringing up the problem to them. As consumers, we can choose to buy fair-trade coffee instead of free-trade. We can buy organically-grown bananas instead of generic ones. We can make decisions that can greatly affect the people who grew the bananas you chop up in your cereal this morning, if we are aware of issues that exist around these areas.

So, I believe that we can respond to some aspects of globalization within reason: we don't want to go overboard, as I mentioned before, but having friends across the world doesn't have to work negatively for everyone. In other aspects of globalization, it can help to take a more active role in responding to those issues, such as environmental issues by joining an orgnanization or taking a certain issue to the government. I think that it depends on the issue that is on the table as to how much we should respond.