In the past, societies were
very much separated from each other. It took a long time for people to travel
from one place to another, and it took even longer for ideas to spread from one
culture to the next. Today the world is a much smaller place. People can travel
fairly quickly to any place in the world, and ideas can spread instantly. This
"globalization" of the world has brought many benefits to the human
family including improved technologies and medical treatments and a greater awareness
of the interconnectedness of all life on the planet.
However,
some of the results of globalization have not benefited most people or the other
living creatures that share our planet. The primary reason is that the driving
force behind globalization has largely been the establishment of a global economy
which puts profits before people or the planet. Corporations have been given tremendous
power to alter the course of our lives. Instead of helping to make the world a
better place, the changes caused by globalization are causing more and more suffering
in the world. The environment is becoming more polluted; species of plants and
animals are becoming extinct; cultures and languages are being lost; and the gap
between the very rich and the very poor is growing larger each year.
In order to transform the global economy into a true global community, we need
to ensure that decisions governments make about the course of our present and
future are based on what is best for the people they govern, not corporations
and other special interests. Only then we can create more sustainable local, national
and global communities. We can help this to happen by using our economic resources
to convince corporations to be socially responsible.
Money, when used for good, can help change the world. Put your resources to work
for a better world. Be conscious of the way you spend your money. Purchase Fair
Trade products - products that are supplied by workers and growers who are paid
fair wages, and work in safe conditions. Demand corporate responsibility -- with
our purchasing power, we can force corporations to manufacture and distribute
their goods in ways that respect workers and protect our planet. Take a bite out
of corporate control by getting money out of politics.
