" We have learned that we cannot live alone, at peace; that our own well-being is dependent on the well-being of other nations, far away.... We have learned to be citizens of the world, members of the human community."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Former US President, 1945.
This quote about interdependence is of great significance as it pertains to todays modern world as one large nation rather than independent countries. The quote was written in 1945 which suggests that if globalization was happening then, it must be very evolved by now. The fact in the first line of the quote confides that "we cannot live alone" and the reason that I am stating it as fact is because it is now a necessity in this world to be connected in order to survive. Without connections to other countries we wouldn't be able to live the lives we do to today. An example would be buying produce in the grocery store as without interdependence on other countries we wouldn't be able to go the the grocery store and pick up bananas any time of the year we like. However, if all the countries who are growing millions of bananas to provide for the world suddenly have a disease, no one will receive bananas. We are dependent on different countries to provide different luxuries and this is the point Roosevelt is trying to make when he says that "our own well-being is dependent on the well being of other nations". Each individual person depends on the world for its products. For example computers, all of the hardware inside of a computer is made in different factories as they are all specialized to handle the manufacturing of different parts. The factories are located in different countries which just shows that computers couldn't be in everyones home and be mass produced if interdependence wasn't possible. The last idea that I took out of this quote is that "we have learned to be citizens of the world". We are no longer citizens of individual countries but we are citizens of the entire world as the world is becoming smaller. In the "why the world is flat" lecture by Thomas Friedman this same idea is present in his thought of "Gloalization 3.0". He expands on the idea by saying that instead of countries and businesses globalizing, individual people are as well and this is the next step looking into the future.
Naomi, great analogies relating to interdependence! I can completely agree that globalization has evolved since 1945. Do you believe this is a pro or a con? Nevertheless, I think it was very important you noted that globalization isn't just based on countries depending on each other but the individuals that make up the countries.In my opinion I believe this is an extremely significant factor for a country like Canada considering we have many immigrants being accepted.
ReplyDeleteHey Naomi, I totally agree with your ideas and analogies about interdependence. Along with Erin, I also believe that since 1945, interdependence has evolved a great amount. I find your connection between this quote and Thomas Friedman's lecture very interesting, as you related it perfectly. In general, with the worlds better knowledge about the pros and cons of interdependence: Do you think in the future, interdependence will be increased or decreased?
ReplyDeleteExcellent examples and analogies about interdependence and how they relate to our modern world. I truly agree with your points!
ReplyDeleteAlso, great reference to Thomas Friedman's Globalization. It is a true reflection of our world and how globalization impacts our society.
You're completely correct. No country in the world produces everything their citizens need. All country's "work together" to ensure that the needs of all their citizens are met. I would compare this to the evolution of humans. As evolution progressed our individual cells became more and more specialized and began the division of labour. Now our liver cells can't live without our brain cells and our brain cells can't live without our cardiac cells etc. No one grouping of cells can sustain a body , but together it creates a highly intelligent and functional human being.
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