This week brings us to the last chapter of Robert Strayer’s Ways
of the World. This week’s reading
deals with the subjects of global interaction on an economic level and
environmental impact of humans on the world.
It’s
true that business has increased and become a world-wide effort for most large
companies. The internet has made it
possible for work to continue on projects around the clock, as workers in India
finish their shifts, workers in the United States start theirs. Information can be shared between the various
teams of workers by sending files over email.
The internet can link groups of people all over the world to enable
sharing of work and a team effort.
This
global environment has also made it possible for large corporations to take
advantage of certain economies by opening factories in areas that have very low
costs of living. This allows them to pay
very low wages, escape union requirements, and sometimes avoid other
regulations with regard to environmental waste and hazardous chemicals. The result is a low cost product for the
corporation, and eventually the consumer, but the effect on the workers
receiving the low wage may not be as positive.
For some, the conditions are dangerous or may have long-term health
risks. For others, the long hours and
poor conditions do little more than take these workers away from their families
for long periods of time. The pay is
barely enough to buy them food.
Another
issue discussed in this chapter is the impact of humans on the
environment. This last century has seen
the population of the world quadruple.
That’s amazing growth! The amount
of food and energy consumed by this large population has put a definite strain
on certain areas. We have melting polar
ice, a shrinking ozone layer, and rising sea levels. The amount of man-made chemicals that we have
sprayed on various crops has put toxins in the earth and the sea. Genetic manipulation of plant life has messed
with all kinds of natural life cycles.
Antibiotics fed to healthy livestock have created new generations of “super-bugs”
that are resistant to drugs. There are many
things to be concerned about.
However,
as we progress, we learn more about our environment and about the things we
have done to hurt it. We are faced with
options, and we can begin to change our ways and do what we can to protect this
world. There is much harm that has been
done, but there is still time to right some of this wrong. I do not believe that all is lost just yet. We just need to be more aware.
As I
close out the last entry of this World History blog, I have a few
thoughts. The first one is amazement
that in eight weeks we have read the entire textbook! Whoo-hoo!!!
I’m not sure I’ve ever taken a class that completely finished a book of
this size! I don’t know what I’m going
to do with all the free time I’m going to have on my hands now that I don’t
have this book to read! My final thought
is that this book was the first history book that I’ve seen really TRY to
present all sides of history. There are
some notable omissions…. the Vikings, for example…. but a real attempt was made
to present all sides, and I appreciate the new perspective I have gained.
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