Globalisation debate - Part 3 - Any Answers?

In my last 2 articles I presented my view about the positive and negative sides of globalisation. I wondered if it was all too easy to highlight the problems that face the world today, suggesting that we should ponder over the plight and needs of the helpless and starving. Do we tend to simply say lets help them, rather than suggest some real solutions or answers? Interestingly, during festive periods across the global, different cultures establish charity collections to ensure that we think of others. Does this mean that charities have year-round collections? Unfortunately not. Consider if you can name consistent investment schemes from multi-national firms or the establishment of collaborative country development teams? How well do we know about the valuable work performed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) or United Nations (UN). I’m sure we all know the name of this year’s seasonal number one pop single!

Last week, over the Xmas break during I sought the sun and it happened to be in a developing country. I won’t mention its name as I believe that what I witnessed could be seen in any country that has ‘flashy’ hotels that cocoon the aware and exclude the hungry. You may now be asking why I decided to book a holiday in such a place. I have to inform you that at the time I genuinely didn’t know how bad the situation there is. Instead, I relied on a travel agency, its brochure and appeal of www.weather.com. I was oblivious to and compelled to gain some natural vitamin D!

The place I visited was in Africa with its many diverse faces and dialectics. One episode will haunt me for the rest of my life. It happened last Friday. We were scheduled by the tour guide to visit a mini-desert area and return after an hour in the desert to the a village house to have lunch with a local family. The temperature soared to over 75degF during our trip. On route 6 local children all varying in age from between 7 and 12 accompanied us. The desert guide was 16 and I was to discover later that he would serve us our lunch. At one point during the desert tour, each child ran up a sand dune and performed unique somersaults, smiling upon successful completion. Their confident manoeuvres gave the impression that the desert was their daily playground. They were all barefooted and clothed in wool’s that had ground-in dust and dirt.

After lunch we were to head back to the main city. Standing outside the house about to board the air-conditioned mini-bus that would take us back to our hotel I poked for loose change in my pocket. I clutched what I had, unfortunately it wasn’t very much. I then proceeded to opened up my left hand to offer it to the 6 children, thinking that each could share what little I was offering. To my astonishment, all 6 arms and hands lunged forward and both clinging and grabbing my hand as in shock I closed it. The change had gone but only one child, coincidentally the oldest was successful in claiming the loose coins that I had displayed for offer. He swiftly pushed them into his side trouser pocket - he gave me the impression that his instant successful gain was not for sharing. My hand throbbed for a second but my heart hurt more. What I had witnessed was what could be described as both a ‘plea and point of desperation’.

You may now be considering the what the reasoning is behind this article. I simply wanted to say that there must be some answers to help resolve the world crisis. Globalisation brings this issue home to us, yet we appear immunised to consider answers. Remember in mathematics we may work hard to get an answers and obtain pleasing marks and comments from our teachers, but what are we doing to help understand the negative permutations that we see in front of us?

Here are some suggested ways forward:
1. Global solution centres – Country subsidised
2. Global initiatives set-up – supported by both countries and companies
3. Public communication and understanding of political problems
4. Tolerance to eradicate racism and respect religious beliefs
5. Reduction of arms sales
6. Freeing of world debt
7. Establishment of training initiatives
8. Public communication of corporate / multinational initiatives
9. Lobbying your MP for more visibility of issues and ownership of cases of plight
10. Set-up of a global secondment schemes.

A final thought. I noticed that I could buy the latest cellular phones and get a connection. But many are unable to eat!? We have solutions, we need the will to work together to believe in them.