Once upon a time, the earth was flat. People stayed where they were, afraid to go too far least they fall over the edge into an abyss.
Then science and technology changed all that. People realized that the earth was round and dared to believe that they could get to other side, one way or the other. A wave of exploration and globalization was ushered in. New lands and markets were found. That brought with it wealth for some but pain and suffering for many. It ushered in a wave of terrorism.
Yes, terrorism!
Whole races were decimated and destroyed, people traded like cattle across seas. Curiously, all that pain and suffering was somehow justified by the religious beliefs of the day.
With time, the conquering race settled back to enjoy it’s spoils, content to leave the decimation it had wrought behind. After all, those other people were on the other side of the world, far, far away.
Then an interesting thing happened. Technology struck again and ushered in another wave of globalization. This time, it flattened the earth – virtually – creating a global village. Even as goods and services streamed one way, the forgotten people on the other side started streaming the other way. For some weird reason, terrorism always seems to follow globalization and this time around, it is no different. And it is again finding justification in religion.
Now there are angry men overall, standing up to defend what they have, who they are and their way of life. I wonder if there were such angry men hundreds of years ago among the people who were killed or traded. I guess their angry voices were drowned out by the din of gunfire and the screams women and children.
This time though, at least for now, the din of gunfire and the screams of women and children are far away, so the voices of the angry men are really loud and clear and can be heard all over the global village.
Hundreds of years ago, globalization changed the lives and cultures on many. Maybe the angry men are astute students of history and see this happening to their cultures and are fighting to preserve what they have.
Who will prevail? The forces of technology and globalization or the angry men?
I wish I knew…I wish I knew….