One Life…

I just finished my last paper for the term, and it looks like there’s no appropriate classes I can take in the summer, so I’ve got a couple months of living and working like a normal person.

I’ve gotten back on reading. Currently going through “The divine conspiracy“, “The secret message Jesus“, and I just picked up ‘The world is flat” from the library.

A couple early quotes from it.

“Those who get caught in the past and resist change will be forced deeper into commoditization. Those who create value through leadership, relationships and creativity will transform the industry, as well as strengthen relationships with their existing clients.”

In a conversation with a leader of an outsourcing firm in India: “We are in the middle of a big technological change, and when you live in a society that is at the cutting edge of that change [like America], it is hard to predict. It’s easy to predict for someone living in India. In ten years we are going to be doing a lot of the stuff that is being done in America today. We can predict our future. But we are behind you. You are defining the future.”

A lot of this sounds like the usual globalization talk, and sometimes I think there is a perception that this is how things will always be. That developed nations, like America, will constantly lead and innovate while ‘helping’ other nations through outsourcing while they race ahead. What I believe, and hope Friedman gets to in the book, is that this won’t always be the case. If it’s true that every soul longs to create, express, dream, and innovate, then in a ‘flattening’ world, there could come a time, i hope, where every nation leads and innovates, and no person is reduced to a commodity. Sadly, I think the thought of this frightens some people, corporations, and countries.

Speaking of corporations, I know I’m late on this, but I finally watched “The corporation” with Yvz last night. It really is a must-watch.

Right this moment, we’re raping the earth, and one another, and we barely feel a thing.

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We also watched “Invisible Children“. I’m completely distrubed by it. Though I am amazed at the type of resiliance and hope these children have with the conditions they live in… especially when I compare them to the punk kids I’ve come across.

Something in these kids, that I’d like to believe is the image of God in every human being, allows them to still experience glimpses of joy while longing for better days. For them, not being murdered, raped, or abducted is cause of celebration. What does it take to make you celebrate?