My mind is still reeling from the implications that the film, Babel, proposed and the effects of globalization have never seemed so instantaneous. In the film, a simple gift of a rifle to a hunting guide connects people all around the world as one unfortunate incident effects another. This chain reaction that some people refer to as "The Butterfly Effect" seems quite plausible after seeing how the concept was presented in the film.
It got me thinking about my personal actions. One aspect of human life the film did not tackle was the internet. I soon realized that something as simple as the words we say online can have great potential outcomes globally. We have the power everyday, to alter lives with both the potential for good and bad. A simple joke made about someone at school on Facebook could lead to a suicide. A hateful film produced by religious extremists in America can lead to the death of an American ambassador in another country. It's terrifying how much power not only our actions have, but our words as well. The internet is a global vessel that can effect people on the other side of the globe form where you reside.
But globalization goes far beyond the internet and into almost everything we use. The very computer I am working on most likely has parts assembled in different areas of the world. The food I ate for dinner came form multiple sources, possibly funding an immigrant's family south of the boarder who came here to work the land in order to support his family back home. Every single thing we have is part of a larger picture we rarely think of. We take for granted what we have and use. We may very well be buying products that promote horrid working conditions on the other side of the planet. It is important to take a second to remind yourself, that we are truly interconnected and part of this "cosmic being." What we do matters, which in return, means every single individual on this earth matters, no matter how small.
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