Border Crossings: Sociological and Theological

Globalization, made possible by the microelectronic revolution in communication and transportation that shrouds the planet like a giant hairnet, has rendered the borders of nations porous, economically, politically and culturally. Economically, goods and services flow to and from countries to be produced, distributed, and consumed in a race to the top for the highest profits and to the bottom for the lowest costs and prices. Politically, no country is any longer isolated and immune from the turmoil and travail that continue to wreak havoc on the human community, be it military conflict and violence or environmental destruction and degradation. Culturally, globalization is like a steamroller, demolishing indigenous societies and cultures, and flattening them into a consumerist McWorld of values and attitudes, of tastes and styles. Geographical barriers and temporal seasons do not matter much anymore. In truth and in fact, globalization has meant the compression of time and space. To be a citizen today is to be a global citizen. At a minimum, it means to be aware of and to know the contours and the dynamics of the forces, external to city, state, and nation, that impinge on and impact our lives, our fortunes, and our future. At a maximum, it demands involvement and participation in efforts at raising consciousness about global issues, at fighting greed and fraud that corrupt the globalization process, and in working for a global economy that redounds to the benefit of all, especially the less fortunate of the world. Global citizenship becomes the big challenge and the great responsibility of education. This requires that disciplines cross their narrow national borders and expand their horizons to take in the problems and concerns of the entire global village. These border crossings, like globalization itself, present both pitfalls, like ethnocentrism, jingoism, and narcissistic nationalism, as well as, opportunities, such as empathy, compassion, and the realization th