Globalism vs Localism
Despite the surge of initiatives among environmentalists to establish locally scaled endeavors such as local currencies, community gardens, neighborhood recycling facilities, district-based material exchanges, and regional trading partners, contemporary cultural norms still cluster around the glamorous images evoked by being a jet-setting globe trotter. Globalism is apparent in world music, world cups, world wars, world politics, world premieres, the World Wide Web, the World Trade Organization, and the World Bank. It is less apparent, but equally present, in paper clips, shoelaces, peanut butter, and combs. In all these ways globalism evokes the inspiring vision of melding “the ends of the earth” and its “four corners” into a unified sphere.
Disparity, not parity, seems to separate these world views. Globalism typically thrusts localism into a defensive posture. Evidence to support this assertion is apparent in most peoples’ answer to the following question, “Would you prefer to take a trip on a bus or a jet?” Global superhighways, whether they are paved or electronic, offer excitement and adventure. In comparison, local trails near home often seem pallid and provincial.
While they come in many sizes, sensibilities scaled to watersheds direct attention away from the captivating glamour evoked by imported consumables, exotic vacations, and outer space probes. Instead, they involve engagements with indigenous conditions and materials that are so local that they can be touched, smelled, and tasted. The brains of most contemporary humans may have to be rewired before people seek emotional and artistic fulfillment by manually shaping weeds, before they discover that his methodology can be applied to all materials that comprise the visual, auditory, and tactile splendor within the earthly realm – plants, honey, fur, rock, fins, dirt. Each interaction with such matter is also an interaction with the planet’s teaming energies and an opportunity for sensual delight and spiritual expansion.