President Obama in Cairo, Egypt – June 4th, 2009

For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations. When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. When innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience. That is what it means to share this world in the 21st century. That is the responsibility we have to one another as human beings.

And this is a difficult responsibility to embrace. For human history has often been a record of nations and tribes — and, yes, religions — subjugating one another in pursuit of their own interests. Yet in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating. Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners to it. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; our progress must be shared.

*bold added by me

One of the hardest things for many in the United States to grasp is the effect of economic globalization on political and social responsibility. Western Capitalism has catapulted its ideals into the global marketplace and the effects are ripping through the fabric of nationalism and traditional religious alliances. When a economic opportunity occurs through global expansion many have thrown contextualization aside, instead opting for a “terms of agreement” that produce the a hearty short-term financial gain.

This type of wheelin’ and dealin’ by Western corporations have created, much like the empire days of the Crusades, small population pockets with Western ideals amidst a dense citizenry with vastly different perspective on life, love and the pursuit of happiness. By a process of infestation the ideals of the West take root and produce a young subset population not familiar with the history of the West, though aware of the affluent lifestyle projected from its borders. The young, who are always on the look out for a revolutionary movement, grab a hold of the portrayed ideals of Western consumerism and either aspire “to be like Mike” or “to be like Mujahid”. Neither choice is the proper response to foreign influences upon one’s culture though there are those that perpetuate the stereotypes fostering religious fervor and devotion to the cause… whether it be for more money or more blood.

My point is this… We as a country must embrace the fact of globalization, not fighting to get back to the days gone by, but looking ahead at what can we do to elevate Kingdom values of peace – driven by incarnational values of love. Looking for ways to embrace the traditions of the past while grabbing a hold of the diversity of the future, seeking non-violent paths to justice and speaking words of reconciliation and forgiveness which always carries with it the burden of sacrifice.