GlocalNet

I have been reading some stuff about immigrants, how they think and how they act when they go and settle in another country.  Because America has had so many come here to live, often we fail to realize that as Americans we act the same way when we go to other places in the world to live.  We live in packs.  We build our own restaurants.  We move as a small group.  Petty national differences go away as we are alone in other places.  There’s a lot more, but won’t write on that here . . . .

The more I began to read and reflect - the more something else began to come clear to me.  To a large degree, the rest of the world has been globalizing - America as well.  But to America it’s been the exportation of our economics and “stuff.”  There is much more to globalization than economics - cultures, tribes, you name it.  The rest of the world gets that part - we don’t.  It’s like we’re a rich person who has come to live in the global neighborhood and we have the “goods” so to speak but we are incredibly isolated from everyone else. 

Our children however, are very different.  Because they’ve grown up on the internet, traveled all over - movies - etc., they see the world radically different. 

I saw this illustrated a couple of weeks ago at our church.  I’ve tried to help people understand how the world is changed and our way of relating to other religions has to change.  People saw it as a global issue that didn’t affect them that much - until the shootings at Fort Hood.  As a result - they saw it in their back yard, and it made them incredibly interested. 

Issues are present whether we recognize them or not - the question is: What does it take to make us recognize them? And then, how do we respond?  What do we export? And, how do we impact the world with our form of faith (see my previous blog)? 

What is the biggest difference in first and second generation immigrants?  First, generation – it’s about me, mine and preserving my story, my stuff and where I came from.  Second generation, it’s about us and what is our common narrative.  What a fantastic future with phenomenal ideas this next generation is going to get to engage with!