Is the world really flat?

This last week has been a bit of a blur, my apologies for not posting anything recently.

Yesterday I watched a surprisingly rich movie called Waking Life. The whole movie takes place in a dream, or at least I think it did; it was actually quite confusing because it was one of those movies that challenged the way you think and view the world. I definitely would recommend the movie; I will have to watch it again when I have the mental capacity to digest the complex dialogue that runs throughout the movie.

Today I went to a talk given by Thomas Friedman author of The World is Flat. We arrived at the bookstore about two and a half hours before he was scheduled to speak. Although it was a long wait, the talk was definitely worth it. Having not read the book myself, it was great having the author break down the major pieces of his argument in a easily digestible form. The basic premise of his book is that the world has gone through three great eras of globalizations: the first was the period from the 1400s to the 1800s, which was characterized by imperialism and a movement of a large world to a mid sized world motivated by specific countries (e.g. Spain and Portugal); the second major era of globalization was the period from the 1800s to 2000, which was an age dominated by company and corporation driven globalization; the last era was from the 2000 to the present, which has brought the world from small to tiny, one that is centered around individuals that are connecting, collaborating and competing with one another.

Friedman then went on to further elaborate on the specific points in time that led up to the era of globalization that we are currently in today, what he calls globalization 3.0. The invention of the personal computer, the development of the internet browser interface and the widespread investment in fiber optic lines created an environment that essentially leveled the playing field; or in Friedman's words "flattened" it. The flattening of the world has removed the barriers to entries to many different areas of business in addition to creating a competitive labor force that is not constrained by physical boundaries.

What I appreciated most about Friedman's talk was the optimism with which he shared in his assessment of this phenomenon of 21^st Century globalization; he said that, although his critics often snub him by saying that globalization is simply a means for the gap between the rich and the poor to widen even further, globalization has in both China and India, been the single most effective means of bringing millions of people out of poverty at a rate that no other method can boast. Personally I think that globalization is a good thing, even though it may result in a loss of jobs in America; the reason I think it is good is because I believe in the fundamentals of a free market economy and I believe that globalization will continue to increase the scope of the free market. Digital media, fiber optic connections and the internet has created a world in which people can do business directly with other individuals. This freedom has the potential to allow almost anyone to be an entrepreneur and find a way for themselves to make a living that is not limited to their physical locale.

Something to think about…