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After two world wars and numerous other conflicts America should have learned her lesson. She can not be isolated from the rest of the world.

Yet the average American has no idea what is happening in the world. Before September 11th most Americans could not have pointed to the nation of Afghanistan on a map. Heck, a large portion of Americans could not identify North America on a globe.

Information travels all over the world instantly. Live, in real time, people here in the United States can view what is happening on the other side of the world. Yet Americans remain woefully ignorant.

And yet American's seem to know what is happening in the lives of celebrities and football teams. America's image of isolation has allowed America to ignore the rest of the world and focus on her own pleasures, pursuits, and desires.

Rather than confront issues of poverty, disease, war, famine, and a myriad of other problems common in other parts of the world America ignores them. America distances herself from them. Central America is often even viewed as not part of North America. Such low living standards can't possibly co-exist on this Continent with the United States.

Unless Americans are directly involved they simply don't care what is happening elsewhere in the world. Unfortunately, those things happening "over there" often affect them in America sooner or later.

The United States kept out of the First World War until her hand was forced. After the war Wilson created the League of Nations to prevent anything like that from happening again, but the United States refused to participate. Again she believed that she could remain isolated.

Then the Second World War came and again America avoided involvement. But again her hand was forced. This time America participated in the organization that emerged, the United Nations. But even now American's complain about America's involvement in the organization.

Examples of America's desire for isolation abound. Americans have no interest in the rest of the world. Until, that is, the rest of the world forces America to act. Americans are ignorant of world issues and events by choice, there is no other excuse to being left unawares. But it is a choice that America can not afford to continue to make.

Learn more about this author, Daniel Xiao Wang.
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