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An impressive statue graces the entrance of the United Nations building in New York. When one reads the inscription “…and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares…” under it, the intent of the sinewy man of bronze wielding a heavy mallet is immediately clear, and the message compelling. Envisioning a future of universal tranquility what this statue symbolises is uplifting, and there are some who are optimistic that the world is heading steadily towards this circuit of serenity on the vehicle of world unification.
Yet, it only takes covering a few blocks to Ground Zero, gravely tomb of the Twin Towers, to face the grim reality – more than ever before, men are inexorably beating their ploughshares into swords, with no signs of letting up any time soon.
That the bonfires of conflict still blaze interminably in our day is hardly surprising. Humankind, and indeed the cosmos as we know it, has thrived on conflict from the first Big Bang of the primeval atom, feeding off its spontaneous burst of inexhaustible energy to drive its trudge, whether progressive or retrogressive, down the beaten path of destiny. The word ‘conflict’, unfortunately, denotes a violent collision and in recent history the number of conflicts has escalated astronomically because the break-neck progress of globalisation’s wave has begun setting hitherto sheltered, almost inviolate cultures on a the beginnings of a bone-rattling collision course.
As borders dissolve and cultures are forced to meld, the proponents of world unification have pressed on blindly, heedless of the jarring consequences of such an upheaval on the norms and values of other people, especially those in eastern regions and parts of the developing world, where social reactions have ratcheted from mild perplexity to outright hostility. Thus the advantages of this truly revolutionary development is lost on a people who feel beleaguered by an invasion of standards they do not understand, standards which daily threaten to erode irreversibly their collective identity as a commune.
What people do not understand, they are more apt to dread and despise, and as pressure builds, other festering sores of malcontent have been triggered, provoking desperate measures of self-preservation, ineluctably violent ones.
Considering that the source of conflict is basically a lack of understanding, one would naturally seek a solution through the most obvious means – education. Indeed, in the Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, "culture" is synonymous with "education’", and given that conflict is fundamentally a clash of cultures, redefining what worldview our children are taught to accept should be the most logical step.
Sadly, there are no resolutions to that effect proposed at UN plenary sessions, and curricula in the schools of member countries have remained largely unchanged. The dilemma is academia has from times past methodically, albeit unwittingly, tailored into textbooks the subtle indoctrination that a class of superiority exists, with the inalienable right to subjugate inferior classes. In the bigger picture, the supremacy of the Western civilisation leaps off the text pages, from the conquests of British imperialism, through the unsurpassed sophistication of Greek philosophy, to the redoubtable ingenuity of Western scientists.
This warp in academic viewpoint is evident in the smaller picture as well, where the accomplishments of major ethnicities are unreservedly extolled, while the minorities inhabit the shadows of ignominy. That their achievements are genuinely laudable does not remove from the disquieting silence concerning the significance other cultures have constituted to the advancement of human knowledge. This prejudice has been inadvertently embedded in the psyche of our children and the education still proffered today, if anything, only serves to deepen the sense of resentment and frustration of those who feel their ways of life have been suppressed unjustly.
Previous efforts at mending the fences have de-emphasized this root problem, which may only find remediation if the looking-glass of literacy avails our children an unbiased intellectual sojourn into world cultures, both theirs and others. This could be achieved through the following strategy of curricular harmonisation. In every nation concerned, extensive research to accurately evaluate and restate the historical contributions of every minority culture or ethnicity in all academic fields should be conducted, and new textbooks reflecting these revisions should replace current ones in the curriculum from primary to tertiary level.
Courses delineating the secular values of democracy should by all means be incorporated, but this should also be accompanied by a fair abbreviation in the accented criticism of other forms of governance besides democracy, given that democracy itself is hardly ideal. The importance of learning foreign languages should be emphasised, with foreign language lessons enforced up to secondary level and encouraged through university.
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Writer Profile
Manny Maurice
Manny Maurice is a youth activist and Vice President of the Future Leaders Network, Nigeria. Also a petroleum engineering graduate, he enjoys penning down commentaries on burning socio-political questions, and runs a blog of his opinions at http://thepayzone.blogspot.com.
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Comments
Face of Globalization HAMEEDULLAH | Jul 6th, 2007
Dear Maurice
It is your great effort one should appreciate you for you idea from very different perspective but very sorry to say i am not agree with you fully.
The major reason behing the problems is not that people are cruel by nature or exploitation but it is the policies made by few people affected billions of people in the shape of globalization. Glonalization is not only about economy, it is about religion, it is about, Media, culture, history, food, thoughts, reactions and every thing is going to face globalization.
if i am not correct let me to be corrected by you.you can contact me at
alwaysingoodmode@gmail.com
thanks
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