Having spent some time abroad, in the cosmopolitan British society, I am increasingly aware of certain issues. Whatever called, they are, simply put, about the way in which we treat the poor countries, their peoples and the global environment we share all together. These concerns are further fuelled now I am back at the University of Economics…
Having spent some time abroad, in the cosmopolitan British society, I am increasingly aware of certain issues. Whatever called, they are, simply put, about the way in which we treat the poor countries, their peoples and the global environment we share all together. These concerns are further fuelled now I am back at the University of Economics… I shall be frank with you, dear my colleagues. Although you may have not realised that yet, you are extremely rich and powerful people who will certainly be in charge of much of the economy of this country. You will, no doubts, become decision-makers shaping our common future. I might be wrong here, yet the trouble as it occurs to me, is that we all do not seem bothered much about what is happening in developing countries of the thirld world. After all, we are heading for the EU.
Let us not be mistaken, however. Even as a part of the EU, we will be heavily influenced by all sorts of things going on elsewhere in the world. We must not forget that the vast majority of the global population live in the poor south and is growing, whereas the rich minority resided in the north is shrinking. We have plundered our countries and have been turning to natural resources of developing countries ever since the time of colonisation. World largest businesses settled there so that they could avoid increasingly stringent regulations in their home countries and exploit local resources. In terms of the most ridiculously revered index, GDP, it seems to be so favourable a phenomenon. Oficially labelled as international development, it is largely initiated and supported by the rich. It gives local people work, it supposedly increases their living standards, it seems all so good.
Yet, it involves clearing of precious rain forests in South America or south-east Asia, for instance, which is conducted at such a ferociously overwhelming pace. This kind of growth philosophy, in my view, is absolutely absurd. We fail to find a lasting solution for people living in poverty, yet we invariably refuse to accept economic immigrants, although we are in serious need of them and should be rather welcoming. It is a granted human right to live in a place of your choice. It seems, however, that the poor and the rich are granted different sets of human rights.
This inequality and injustice may well lead us all–without a single exception–in dire straits. We restrict our thinking into borders of both space and time and in doing so we live at the expense of the poor and the future generations alike. The supreme challenge is to globalise our thinking. It is high time we moved on from exploitation to consideration, from competition to cooperation. Furthermore, it is of paramount importance to stress that both understanding and respect underlie such a proposal.
I was born in a beautiful spot of Southern Bohemia and along with other 10+ million Czechs I will soon become a european citizen. However, at present our home is The Earth and we should consider ourselves global citizens rather than european and act accordingly. Thus, I feel greatly obliged to urge you to beware your power and handle it in a reasonable way. It is not a question of choice between globalisation or sustainability as some anti-globalisation activists might suggest. Sustainability is achievable on condition that we are able to think globally in all aspects, directions and across distances. In other words, awereness of future impacts of what you do today on other countries and their peoples is vital.
(Having got to this point, you might be asking why that stuff is in English? Well, I am of the opinion that the experience I have come through was entirely due to my capability of speaking English. A global language is an indivisible part of globalisation and a necessary means of understanding its principles and aspects. Furthermore, certain thoughts are impossible to translate, otherwise their meaning and impact would be distorted.)
