Coexistance in the Modern World

          At the height of Antiquity in the Western World, there were three cities that stood out above all others: Rome, Alexandria and Jerusalem.  We hear the names of these cities and are, often times, compelled to immediatly picture three distinct civilizations; the Italians of Rome, the Egyptians of Alexandria or the Isreali/Palastinians of Jerusalem.  Deeper analysis, however, reveals that this was far from the reality of the situation.  In reality, individuals of all backgrounds of the ancient world coexisted within these city walls.  From Gaul to Babylon, people of all regions flocked to these cities were they worked side by side, communicated through a universal language (Greek), combined religious philosophies and mixed the greatest ingenuities of each culture to create innovative technologies that would eventually dissappear for over a thousand years.  Each city was certainly distinct, but the coexistance of all walks of life was to be found in each. Rome was certainly the dominant, Alexandria the cosmopolitan and Jerusalem the defiant, but they all recognized that more could be gained from understanding their similarites and combining their strengths than could by focusing on what made them different.

         I began with this summary of civilization during Antiquity, because it demonstrates the abilities of unique cultures to live together, create a singular economy, speak a universal language and still retain what makes them culturally distinct.  True, my description is sugar- coated and aimed at supporting my argument, but the fact is, these cities were full of distinct cultures coexisting fairly peacefully(maybe not so much Jerusalem).  Now, considering that people living two thousand years ago were able to understand the benefits to the concept of "globalization", then why did it end and, furthermore, if globalization is so beneficial to the international stage, why has it come under so much scrutiny the more it begins to redevelop?  Simply put, the religious and political turmoil that developed as a result of the collapse of the Roman Empire and the emergance of the Dark Ages was responsible for the end of ancient coexistance.  This, in turn, led to almost every global conflict right up to the present(Crusades, Inquisition, Diaspora, Imperialist colonization, Holocaust, World War, Terrorism, etc.). The reason modern globalization is scrutinized is that many people fear the extinction of diversity.  A fear lingers that, eventually, every man, woman and child will speak English and drink Starbucks coffee.  Personally, I would love to see a world where this is at least an option, but also one in which everyone retains a native language, enjoys their native customs and is willing and able to share them with the rest of the world.

           In modern times, we are confronted with many people who claim the world is in a cultural war between East and West. They say, the conflict between Judao- Christian cultures and Islamic cultures is only at its beginning stages.  Their is definitly a growing tension in the world, but  I would say that such suggestions are really propaganda tools that reflect the desires of those people within both cultures that stand to benefit from such international chaos and mistrust.  Unfortunately for the individual, they are using religion, mankinds most sacred institution, as their weapon of choice.  This results in many people losing touch with the original doctrine of their faith and embracing one of seperation and, in some cases, violence.  As with the Ancients, we are in a position to allow our religious and cultural differences break us apart, or we can learn from their mistakes and embrace our similarities.  We are all people striving to do our best.