Book Reviewed
By Darold Morgan
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century
By Thomas L. Friedman
Anytime Thomas Friedman writes a book, go out and get it! You will not regret it—ever! His writings are simply required reading in today’s world. Freidman is a winner of several Pulitzer prizes and other major awards. His work as a columnist for the New York Times is known and quoted around the world. This newest book, a best-seller from the moment of publication, speaks to one of the most important issues confronting our nations—Globalization!
This is that phenomenon which has resulted from the convergence of three famous inventions less than twenty years ago. These are the personal computer, the world-wide web, and that dazzling and seemingly endless array of complicated soft-ware programs which keep on coming our way. All of a sudden there are no boundaries between nations in the world because of an information revolution, as Friedman eloquently states, on a par or perhaps beyond, as powerful as Gutenberg’s printing press or the Industrial Revolution itself! Basically, the world is flat!
Globalization has resulted in unnumbered American jobs lost to India or China or Eastern Europe not only because of massive savings but also because of a surprising level of efficiency, research, and resourcefulness. Misunderstanding these effects of globalization and the additional chapters yet to be written about it is leading to a tinkering with a pernicious protectionism both in America and Europe which may result in some very harmful and difficult problems. The title of the book is ingenious for it encompasses the past, present, and future of globalization and these multiple related issues that are here to stay.
Freidman has a rare gift of taking obtuse and abstract concepts and restating them so lucidly and simply that understanding can actually become a reality. Like it or not, changes about how business will be done around the world, clashes between cultures, and political upheavals all are involved in this information revolution. Here is a very readable volume which should be required regarding the impacts of these inevitable developments.
If Freidman’s conclusions are correct, one almost automatically concludes that one’s definition of a professional is up for grabs. Business leaders, labor union officials, leaders at all levels of American educational systems, workers in jobs especially sensitive to these global factors are just some of those who need stringently to mull over Freidman’s conclusions. Religious leaders also need to have an ear to the ground here because they must wisely minister and mentor multitudes of their church members impacted by these factors.
Of major interest in the book is Friedman’s multiple conversations and interviews with key business and political leaders in lands where globalization is moving forward at unbelievable speeds. None is more prominent than India. If the suggestion for required reading is valid in America, that same suggestion should apply to the Indian leadership, particularly in the sensitive areas regarding the culture surrounding the issue of the Untouchables, the conflicts between Hindus and Moslems, and the encouragement attendant regarding an emerging democracy. Much progress has been made, but much has yet to be realized.
Friedman has not lost faith in the American genius, rooted in our land’s glorious freedoms and nourished by our historical educational institutions which are still the envy of the entire world. He eloquently, even fervently, appeals to every level of American life to return to the disciplines of study, inventiveness, and the old-fashioned values of hard work and visionary commitment. Through these avenues America moved to the head of world leadership. Friedman tells us honestly that the gauntlet of change has been hurled at us, primarily from India, China, Japan. America still has the extraordinary benefits of its historic freedoms, but the day of coasting on the accomplishments of the past is over in this flat world!
In addition to the impact of globalization, the author also touches on other very important issues. He bluntly assesses the caste system in India, which is all but unknown to the average American. His observations on “The Curse of Oil” are timely and applicable. His analysis of “Militant Islam” merits serious attention. India is home to more Moslems than any other country in the world, save Indonesia. With terrorism being spawned by “the poverty of dignity,” producing humiliation and frustration, it is past time for Americans to be aware of both the numbers of Islamic people in lands where globalization is alive and well and the dangers of a “protectionism” that can run out of control. The implications of globalization mandate understanding, judicial restraint, and political wisdom far beyond the average.
Friedman has not lost confidence in American leadership. The case is far from lost in these growing pressures that come from so many various sources in the world. With wise, perceptive political and business leaders in America, this new flat world without borders offers a challenge without precedent. These years ahead offer not only great peril but great opportunities, and this author genuinely believes that America can rise to the challenge. Missing, of course, in this secular book, is the Christian concept of ultimate hope which is rooted in the Judeo-Christian framework of America. Granted America has had the genius in business, inventiveness, and trade. What seems to be the fresh order of the day is an updated version of the historic Protestant Work Ethic, rethought, reapplied, and reenergized now. Any way the peruser of these words may conclude, here is a book well worth reading. These issues are here to stay!
