My car and my phone were made in South Korea, my laptop is Japanese, my iPad hails from California and most of my clothes were stitched together in China. That is simply the world in which we live. An increasingly globalising world in which large corporations and international brands play a massive role, their products brought to my door by global free trade (mainly). The products are marketed and often sold via the internet and global TV networks.
And the upshot is: untold benefits to people in every developed country, with developing countries like China and India rapidly catching up. This combination has meant unrivalled prosperity for many people and countless countries and improved standards of living, packed full of material things. (Whether it has produced more happiness than earlier generations is a moot point and the basis of a future article)
Our modern day system of globalisation and internationalcapitalism is far from perfect. Some of it has been produced on the backs of people who have not fully shared in the wealth creation. Global corporations now wield more power than many small countries and are not as accountable for their actions as democratically-elected governments.
But the benefits that we all now take for granted would blow the minds of previous generations. I can remember the 70’s when British made cars used to litter the sides of motorways. These days the modern hatchback, irrespective of country of origin, never rusts, hardly ever breaks down and enables comfortable driving at reasonable cost.
Last week I stood in a field in Warwickshire while Jan was competing in a class on her large hack, watching the test match on my iPad. If you walk into a Starbucks or Costa you know exactly what you are going to get – the quality is guaranteed. We can all sit at our computers and google away and within seconds book a hotel, learn precious information, catch up with the news, order a book from Amazon or skype our grandchildren in Australia.
And yet: the recent hacking scandals demonstrate how fragile it all is. Technology is taking us to places we never imagined, but just because something is possible, does not mean it is right. We do not really know where this will end up.
We have to learn how to ensure that all of the vast benefits of the modern world do not undermine the essential values of what it means to be human.