The Desire for Seclusion and Oneness in the World Today
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All too often a person, a community, or a culture wants to eat their cake and have it too. They want to hold onto the traditions of their culture while using the advances in technology and not giving up anything. They want what their ancestors had while enjoying the benefits of today. In the end, it is discovered that it is an impossible dream. The desire for advancement will triumph over tradition due to the strength it possesses and the need for openness that tradition will not allow. But many feel the need to withdraw and protect their traditions.
Tradition Versus Future
In Benjamin R. Barber’s article, “Jihad vs. McWorld”, he dives into the collision of the world of tradition and that of the future of the world. As the world that has been the norm for generations and beyond breaks apart, it finds the world “coming reluctantly together at the very same moment.”
The internet is bringing parts of the world together that never had contact in the traditional sense. Where politics and religion have kept worlds apart, technology is bringing them all together. The world is now a much smaller place and will only get smaller.
The World Changes
What once was becomes no more. The Soviet Union was once a large nation that stretched from Europe to Asia. In the matter of weeks and months, it broke apart with nations that had not been independent in a hundred years, reclaiming the role of self-government. Nothing stays the same.
The world is moving forward at a fast pace. Advancements come daily and change the daily lives of those across the globe. Even in the most remote areas, one can find the influence of computers and health advancements. This world today is not the world of our grandparents or even our parents.
A Lie
Tradition and progress both prevent “practical ways to govern themselves democratically.” Both pull people under a cloak of power to protect and improve a society. Yet each takes away from the people the ability to rule and create their own future.
Society finds itself at the whim of the world that drives it. It really does not have much choice. As technology and advancements roll out, no one…
