I’ve been doing a bit of reading on globalism, one of my friends asked a group of us; “Will the new world order be one in which religion will play a leading role?” Our conversation morphed to exploring whether there can be “a” new world order or are we more likely to see new world “orders” and persistent questions of if many can they discover a way of harmony or at least respect.
As neither a prophet nor the son of the prophet (and with lots of questions about my profit), I must state that I don’t know.
I tend to think that there is a growing synthesis which sees that religion is inseparable from geopolitics. I doubt that religion will “lead” the way, but I think it will be increasingly invited to the table, or at least it is recognized that religion or at least spirituality has always been at the table.
I do sense that new world orders are developing; orders/structures are socially created and change with changing society – as we become increasingly fluent in “globalism” (as a meaning creating language) our orders must change.
I remember reading about the early days of the mass reproduction of great works of art; some in the art community foresaw the end of the art world… “now everyone can have a van Gogh.” What happened instead was, the reproductions served to increase the value of the original. Or more “recently” when the VCR first came out, some said that people would quit going to the movies. In reality, the exact opposite has happened.
So, often people fear that pluralism, globalism, multiculturalism, etc., will blend religions into one. While I bet religions will increasing position themselves to learn from one another, my gut tells me that we will see fewer conversions from one religion to another, and we’ll witness traditions mining the depths of their histories of practices.
Maybe we are seeing the impact of modernity’s attempt separate the church from state. Maybe the tension introduced to the world through modernity’s questioning of the validly of religion in the public sphere is giving way to a new synthesis.
I say, yes, we are moving in the direction of harmony and/or respect… or at least I hope so.
Nationalism seems to be morphing into a folk-nationalism. What does it mean to be American in a global world? Certainly not the same thing it meant at the beginning of the twentieth Century. I don’t think we know yet what the long term impact of the American retaliation to the events of 9/11, and then there’s free trade, new ecumenicalism, the www, transnational corporate identities, brands as superstars are new challenges facing each national ethos, and CEOs as kings & queens.
Remember a few years ago at the Olympics. Michael Jordon/Johnson (I can’t remember which Michael) said he won’t step onto the platform to receive his Gold medal without his Nikes. What might that signify? Is he less American and more “Nikian?” Or why is it that almost no athletes on Canada’s track and field team were born in Canada?
If our connections to our “Nations” are changing than it seems likely that our folk-al connections to our identity-giving body becomes more important than what our passport(s) may say. New World order… here we come. Sing with me, “Dawning of the age of… who knows?”
Peace, dwight
