*The Debatewise Blog
Globetrotting and General Gains from Globalisation
The application in one of the social networks I use just informed me that I’ve already visited 24 countries in 4 continents. Today only, I’ve already communicated with wonderful and diverse characters from 5 different time zones - friends I made during my thrilling trips. Today, I lived my daily life using casual goods made all around the world, without even thinking about it. Sounds like a casual day of the 21st century?Seems like it. Open borders, free flow of goods, advancements in technology, increasing social, political and economic relations, global village - concepts mentioned everyday, huh? The possibilities and opportunities available to the youth nowadays, however, could hardly been envisioned only 20 years ago. Likewise, the people of this generation can hardly conceptualize the world two decades ago. I was born and raised Lithuanian, a citizen of a country which was under the Iron curtain and thus isolated from the rest of the world 20 years ago. The fall of the Berlin wall opened borders, flow of ideas, and globalization generally revealed new horizons to all of society. Thanks to globalization, my passion for travels and adventures is now realistic. Family vacations in Southern Europe or Northern Africa, international projects and conferences all over the EU, the seminars on Leadership in Hungary, Climate Change in Germany, and the international cooperation projects in the UK have all contributed to who I am.
The greatest adventure of my life is happening right now. My curiosity and passion for adventures encouraged me to participate in a high school foreign exchange program in the other part of the world. Only thanks to globalization I am now living in Chicago, U.S. and I am able to develop myself as a personality while becoming responsible for my decisions and overcoming new challenges. The chance to live in a different culture is amazing, for it provides a new perspective towards life. Handling the smallest aspects of everyday life has contributed to my overall maturity. For instance, I was using the bathtub for the first week, because I lacked the skill to operate an American (oh yeah!) sink faucet, but once I managed to overcome this challenge, I gained more self-confidence! Whether a common or highly important, every experience is valuable. Therefore I am involved in the Model United Nations club here, and this helps me develop my critical thinking, public speaking and organizational skills. Competitions in a foreign language inspire me to strive to accomplish the impossible. Winning an international Model United Nations conference is a wonderful experience, but I would have never encountered it if I wasn’t able to travel or simply study a foreign language. Due to globalisation-related experiences, I'm becoming a more well-rounded individual and developing a more mature perspective towards life.
When you are reading this, wherever you are, just think about how lucky we are. Whatever our background is, wherever we are from, we have the access to opportunities, because globalisation established “a global platform that allowed more people to plug and play, collaborate and compete, share knowledge and share work, more than anything we have ever seen in the history of the world” (Thomas Friedman). Next time you travel, or simply reconnect with your friends on the other side of the globe think about the opportunities we have due to globalisation. Appreciate it and don’t abuse this wondrous gift.
Dominykas Milasius, Lithuania