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.