Bad

by Christyl Rivers

Created on: December 23, 2011   Last Updated: December 27, 2011

Globalization makes all workers of earth merely tools in the hands of rich corporations. That may be an extreme view, but those who work for a living seem to arrive at this view sooner or later.

Diderot once said that men (humanity he meant) will never be free until the last king strangles the last priest. He was not talking about Elvis the king, or priests as we now know them.

In that philosopher's day this made perfect sense because all monarchs and the Church held all the power. But multi-nationals are the NEW kings and priests, they profit from exploiting earth and our ecosystems and by exploiting the labor and good will of people to work hard in hopes that the workers will one day earn their due.

Religion is too, simply a tool to keep the masses divided that they may all be conquered. The true ideology is capitalism, with welfare only going to the top 1%, and the remaining populace encouraged to join them, and be rich, famous, and powerful.

There are not enough earths for everyone to be rich and powerful. There are not enough resources for forests, fuels, and oceans to not be over taxed by the enormous carbon stomp of runaway "development."  over population, and resulting shortages.

One need only to look at our imports and exports to see what is valued most by those on both sides of the globe. The west exports pop culture, Hollywood, music, fashion, and a great number of addictive cigarettes. The East exports University students, eastern spirituality, electronics, cheap plastic goods, shoes, and clothes, and martial arts.

It is also being said recently that we in the west have exported all tech support and manufacturing jobs, and that what the east is exporting here, for a better education, is their best and their brightest people.

The greatest source of all our differences is focus on what a person actually is. In the West the self is always put first. In the East, a person is a member of a larger community. This extends all the way from core of the family to belonging to the earth itself, and therefore valuing the bounty of the earth, rather than merely exploiting it for personal gain.

That said, not everything about globalization is all bad. Keeping it controlled, and non rapacious of resources, and labor, sustains a middle class in all areas, and the middle class is extremely vital. The middle class pays for, the upper class, the lower class and of course, the MIDDLE class.  With no thriving middle class society divides into the ancient disparity of Master and slave, Monarch and peasants, Gentry and serfs, or in the 21'st century, multi-nationals billionaires (who have been given personhood rights) and the rest of us, the workers. Lately these workers have taken up the banner: "We are the 99%, (percent)" and they seek to overturn the staus quo.

Religion is approached differently as well. For most of the last 100,000 years, people lived in nature and so worshiped with reverence the earth, moon, and stars and a wide range of deities.  In the west Christian-Judea cultures brought monotheism. Although there are good and practical reasons to honor and appreciate the living earth, monotheism gradually led to abandonment of most pagan ideas.  Now the three biggest monotheism's continue to fight and spill blood because there are three different names for the guy in the sky: Yahweh, Allah, and God. Everyone knows these wars are really about resources, (such as oil, food, and water) and control of hearts and minds of the people who live in the toxic dust of the fallout.

The east has given the west much to be desired in theologies that realize it is our similarities that matter more than our differences.  We belong among those eco-systems we responsibly maintain. And the west is slowly spreading the notion of democracy, freedom, rule of law, and tolerance of every kind. It is vital that humanity learn that 20% of the world population, in the west, consumes more than half (50%) of all the worlds fuel, food, and energy. China is growing, however, and demand is ever increasing all over earth.

Which is more important? The synergy of all is most important.

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