Sermon for 8 January 2006, 1^st Unitarian Church of Alton, Illinois

 

WORLD CITIZENSHIP

Ronald J. Glossop

 

I.  Introduction

    A.  If someone asks you, "What are you?", how would you answer?

    B.  Obviously, the context will influence your answer.  If you have just met someone and are in the process of getting acquainted for the first time, you might describe yourself in terms of your occupation.

    C.  If you are at a meeting of representatives from different religions, you might describe yourself as a "Unitarian-Universalist" or an "agnostic" or a "humanist" or a "pantheist."

    D.  If you are traveling outside of the United States and are asked this question, you would probably answer, "I am an American" or "I am citizen of the United States," the second being a much better answer in my opinion, since in reality Mexicans, Hondurans, Venezuelians, Brazilians, Chileans, Cubans, and many others living in this hemisphere are also Americans.

    E.  Because we are not likely to meet extra-terrestrials, we are probably not very likely to answer this question by saying, "I am an Earthling."  Not only are we not likely to say, "I am an Earthling."  Most of us also would not be likely to think of that.

    F.  This morning my aim is to persuade you to start thinking of that all the time, to always have in your mind, "I am an Earthling;  I am a citizen of the world."  I also want to encourage you to think about the implications of thinking that important thought.  If I truly am an Earthling, what other thoughts should come to mind, and how consequently should I act.   

 

II.  What are the main facets of personal identification?  How do we think about what or who a person is?

    A.  When we think about what we are or who we are, there are some features that naturally come to mind.

    B.  A main way of classifying or categorizing people is on the basis of the various groups to which they  belong.  Some features are quite apparent just by looking at a person, and thus usually we do not think much about them even though they may be very important.

    C.  For example, our lives are very greatly influenced by what gender we are, but it is not very often that a man thinks "I am a man," even though gender greatly influences what men are and what men can become.  For example, men cannot become mothers, but I doubt that many men think much about that.  It is just an accepted fact of life.  On the other hand, in situations where there is discrimination against women, they are likely to be very conscious of the fact of gender and that in a discriminatory society there are some things they can't do or can't become just because they are women.

    D.  Another example of a feature sometimes used for identification is what race we are.  In most situations where we can be seen by others, we are not likely to be asked what race we are.  Most of us here are not likely to think very much about what race we are.  But in situations where race discrimination exists, members of those discriminated-against races are likely to be very much aware of what race they are and how important that factor is in who they are and what they can and can't become.

    E.  In a world divided into 200+ aation-states, often with different languages and cultures, a common factor in identification (both in how we identify ourselves and how others identify us) is what nation-state we belong to.  I think it is very likely that most of us have thought rather often of what nation-state we belong to.  It is also one of the main ways others identify us as well as how we identify them.  Even if we reside in a nation-state other than the one where we were born, the nation-state of our birth contiunes to be a part of our identification, part of who we are and of what we can become.

    F.  Even if most of us don't think of it very often, I suppose that the thought that we are creatures living on the Earth, that we are Earthlings, has occurred at one time or another to all of us.  One thing that can stimulate us to think of ourselves as citizens of planet Earth is seeing the well-known photo of the Earth from space.  Other things that can generate that awareness are the news items about the planet's endangered ozone layer, about changes in the weather apparently tiggered by global warming, about immigration pressures as people in poorer lands seek to find a better life in richer countries, and about the possibility of a bird flu pandemic.  It is becoming ever more difficult to disregard what is happening in the rest of the world outside of our national borders.

 

III.  The transition away from thinking of ourselves or others primarily in terms of nationality is one of the critical transformations taking place as we move from the 20^th century into the 21^st century.  It has implications not only for how we identify ourselves and other individuals but also for how human society is to be organized politically and how we are to communicate with each other.

    A. The shift from nationalism to internationalism and now to globalism is the continuation of a process that started over 500 years ago but which has really accelerated in the last 250 years

        1. New means of transportation (steam engines for ships & trains, automobiles, bicycles, airplanes, and jet planes) have changed the distances people can and want to travel.

        2. New means of communication (telegrams, telephones, radios, films, televisions, tape recorders, the internet, and cell phones) have changed the ways people can communicate with each other, and have especially changed the distances over which they could communicate.

        3. As we often say, "Modern technological innovations in both transportation and communication are making the world smaller every day."

    B.  Technological changes have also provided new ways for people to gain even more new information about how nature works and about how human society  operates.

    C.  These changes brought about by new scientific knowledge and the new products of industrialization have in turn produced changes in how we think about ourselves as well as about how we organize ourselves politically, and how we communicate with each other.

    D.. There are no particular times to which we can point and say, "That is the year when nationalism gave way to internationalism" or "That is the year when internationalism gave way to globalism."  These social changes are gradual, but that does not mean that they are not real.  There are real differences between the nationalism of the 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th centurise and the internationalism which appears in the last part of the 19^th century and most of the 20^th century.  And there are real differences between the internationalism of the 20^th century and the globalism of the 21^st century, a distinction I will shortly explain in greater detail because I am quite aware that many people use these terms "internationalism" and "globalism" as if there were no difference between them.

 

IV.   To provide context for my discussion of the difference between the social phenomena of internationalism on the one hand and globalism on the other, I want to discuss the still earlier social phenomenon of nationalism, focusing on three aspects of it.

    A.  One aspect of nationalism is how individuals think of themselves, how they identify themselves.  From the Middle Ages up to 1500 most people in Europe would have identified themselves on the basis of their religion, that is, "I am a Christian" or "I am a Jew" or "I am a Muslim."  During the next 150 years the identification would probably be narrower:  "I am a Catholic" or "I am a Lutheran" or "I am a Calvinist."

        1.  The Thirty Years War from 1618 to 1648 marks an important shift in the system of identification in Europe. That war, which began as a religious war between Catholics and Protestants, ended as an international war between nation-state and nation-state.

        2.  After 1648 Europeans were more likely to identify themselves as Swedes or Italians or Spaniards or Dutchmen or Frenchmen, that is, by nationality rather than religious faith.

    B.  A second aspect of nationalism, closely related to the previous point, is which language a person is accustomed to using.  As time passes and a larger proportion of people learn how to read and write and in that way are able to gain information beyond what their own family and acquaintances tell them, the question of which written language one has learned becomes more important, so control of the educational system is very important to nationalism.

    C.  The third aspect of nationalism, also closely related to the previous points, is the focus of political loyalty.  If a war starts between one king's army and another king's army, which side would you want to win?  If you had to fight, to which side would you give your support.

        1.  As already noted, after 1648 this political loyalty would often be more important than one's religious commitment, and later the focus of loyalty changed from king to nation-state.

        2.  As time passed these three aspects of nationalism became more and more difficult to separate from one another.  The political authorities would determine which language would be used, especially in schools, and the social environment would lead people on the basis of both language and political loyalty to identify themselves even more with their nation-state.

    D.  Just as the transition from an agrarian society to an industrialized society did not take place everywhere at the same time, so the transition from nationalism to internationalism has not taken place everywhere at the same time.

        1.  Internationalism came to Europe much earlier than to the United States.  The first regional international governmental organization established was the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine, created by the Europeans in 1815.  The second international organization (also regional) was the European Commission of the Danube created in 1856.

        2.  The first worldwide international organization was the International Telegraphic Union.  It was established in 1865 and incorporated into the International Telecommunication Union in 1932.  Its work was much more important in Europe than other parts of the world.

        3. The formation of the European Union has moved Europeans toward internationalism, but there is still much nationalistic restraint on that effort toward integration. The nationalism there is being overcome to a large extent by the feeling that integration is necessary to compete with the United States and China, but the language problem has not yet been solved.

        4.  The United States, separated by oceans from both Europe and Asia, tended to view internationalism as applying mainly to its domination of Latin America as exemplified by the Monroe Doctrine of 1823.  Even today, internationalism in the United States tends to mean having international institutions such as the U.N. or NATO or the International Monetary Fund which are to be embraced only so long as they can be dominated by the United States.

        5.  Despite some movement toward internationalism, nationalism is still a very powerful force in Europe, and even more elsewhere, as nations continue to compete with each other economically and for status in all areas (science, entertainment, sports, art, literature).  One should not  forget that the two world wars were motivated by struggles for status between Germany and Britain, between Japan and China, and between Russia and Germany while the Cold War was a struggle for top status between the Soviet Union and the United States.  We can see similar struggles for top status now developing between the U.S. and China, between India and China, and between Europe and the U.S.  Nationalism is hardly a spent force.

 

V.  But let us look at some changes now taking place and what could happen in the future.  The key difference between internationalism and globalism is between perceiving the world as composed of a collection of nation-states and perceiving it as a single planet where national boundaries are relatively insignificant., something like the relative insignificance of state boundaries within the U.S.

    A.  The appropriate image for internationalism is a map of the world or even a globe where the different countries are in different colors, each one bordered by a solid black line.  As already noted, the appropriate image for globalism is the photo of Earth taken from space where there are no national boundaries and where the unity of the planet and its solitariness in space are very evident.

    B. It might help to recall that the word "internationalism" comes from Latin terms meaning "between" or "among" nations.  In this international framework people do not relate directly to each other as individuals but interact with each other by means of national representatives.  Crossing a national boundary will usually mean getting inspected, being subject to different laws, using a different language, and using different money.

    C.  Although it is not possible to point to some single moment when the transition from internationalism to globalism takes place, it seems that a significant development relevant to the begnning of this transition was the photographing of the Earth from space which was done in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

    D.  As is quite evident to all, we are living in the age of globalization.  But that term "globalization" is usually taken as applying to the domination of the global economy by transnational corporations, and that shift certainly is a major factor in the way that the global society is changing.  Indeed it is these corporations more than any other institutions that are really operating in a world without borders.

    E.  But we are also witnessing globalization, that is, the progressive elimination of national borders, in virtually all facets of human life:  disease (avian flu, HIV/AIDS), the internet, music, science, education, crime (drug trafficking, smuggling people and weapons across national boundaries, pirating patents and copyrighted material), athletics, tourism, and so on.  Consider how a growing proportion of people are even marrying across national borders, including some members of this congregation and their offspring.

    F.  Another aspect of globalism is the concern for preservation of the environment of the whole Earth.  When we think of problems such as global warming and depletion of the ozone layer and depletion of nonrenewable resources, it is obvious that national governments focused on limited geographical areas and acting separately in terms of national interest have no chance of dealing successfully with these problems which are global in scope.

 

VI.  Earlier I discussed three aspects of the phenomenon of nationalism.  Let me now discuss those three aspects as they apply to the distinction between internationalism and globalism.

    A.  The first aspect is personal identity, how people think of themselves.  In the case of internationalism people regard themselves as definitely members of one country but are very much aware that their country exists in a world where there are other countries with which cooperation is possible in many circumstances.  In the case of globalism people think of themselves primarily as Earthlings, as citizens of the world, and only secondarily as citizens of this or that country.  Consider the way that most of us think of ourselves first as Americans and only secondarily as citizens of a particular state such as Missouri or Illinois.  Think of that perspective and go up one more geographical level to the whole Earth.

    B.  The second aspect of internationalism versus globalism concerns language use.  With internationalism one accepts the situation that different nations and different nationalities use different languages and that communication will require interpreters and translators, possibly assisted now by various kinds of modern technology.  This internationalism will also function better if individual persons learn to use several different national languages.  But in the case of globalism there must be one common language for all Earthlings, not only to facilitate communication but also to sustain community solidarity.  Consider the difficulties that occur when there is no single language for the whole society such as with Quebec in Canada, the Basques in Spain, the Hungarians in Romania, or the present difficulty in trying to create a European Union.

        1.  One also cannot ignore the connection between identity and language use.  When people do not use the same language, it is difficult for them to view themselves as belonging to the same community.  They  just can't communicate with those "other people."

        2.  When one begins to think of one language for the whole Earth, the natural question to ask is, Which language would it be?

           a.  At the moment, it seems that English is on its way to becoming the single language for the whole world, but the proportion of the world's population which uses English as its first language is declining, from about 10 percent in 1950 to about only 6 percent now.  There are two and a half times as many people who use Mandarin Chinese as their first language (and the economic influence of China in the world is increasing rapidly), and the native speakers of Spanish now outnumber the native speakers of English.  Furthermore their influence within and outside the United States is growing.

           b.  There is a justice problem with using any existing national language.  The speakers of that national language are a minority of the world's population, but they are given a great advantage in international meetings.  This injustice arouses resentment, as is now occurring in much of the world against the use of English in international contexts.  Think of how you would feel if you had to use Chinese in order to participate in the international community.

           c.  The logical solution to this world language problem is to use a created language which is no one's native language but which as been designed to be easy to learn and to use.  That was the aim of Polish physician L. L. Zamenhof when he created Esperanto and gave it to the world in 1878, just 2 years after the invention of the automobile driven by an internal combustion engine.  Unfortunately, Esperanto has not received as much attention as cars, but it has not been forgotten.  The use of Esperanto has spawned a movement of idealists committed to the welfare of a global community based on a common language which at the same time will permit the preservation of national languages for national communities.  The development of the internet has now given that movement new life.

    C.  The third aspect of the internationalism-versus-globalism distinction is the focus of political loyalty.  In internationalism the primary loyalty of individuals is to the national governments.  International policy-making organizations such as the League of Nations and the United Nations and the World Health Organization and the Universal Postal Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency may be created to deal with international problems, but these organizations are to assist cooperation among the national governments, not individuals.  In globalism the primary loyalty of individuals would be to some democratic global government, some world federation which is over the national governments, similar to the way that our national government is over the state governments.  Individuals may have a greater commitment to the welfare of the whole global community than to their own national government, but until the political institutions are changed they are likely to face obstacles as they try to act in accord with that commitment.  They can try to work through various non-governmental organizations, but they may find it difficult to get around the restraints placed on them by their own national governments.  National governments typically require primary loyalty to themselves, and don't reliquish that requirement until they decide to become part of a larger political unit, as is now occurring in Europe as the various countries there agree to become part of the European Union.  Globalism will be fully implemented only when the various national governments of the whole world are integrated into a world federation.

 

VII.  So the question for each of us now is, Are we ready to make the transition from inter-nationalism to globalism?

    A.  Are we ready to think of ourselves primarily as Earthlings, as citizens of the world, and only secondarily as Americans?

    B.  Are we ready to learn Esperanto (or some other global language other than English) which can form the linguistic support for our commitment to the global community?

    C.  Are we ready to support political institutional change from the internationalistic United Nations to a global democratic world federation?  And are we ready in the meantime to give our financial support and energy to globally-oriented non-governmental organizations such as Citizens for Global Solutions, Earth Action, World Beyond Borders, Amnesty International, the World Federalist Movement, the Universal Esperanto Association, the Sierra Club, Doctors Without Borders, the Association of World Citizens, the International Association for Religious Freedom, the World Constitution and Parliament Association, and so on?

    D.  Whether we ourselves are ready to make this transition or not, are we ready to help our children and grandchildren make it?  Will they be ready for the global community in which they will have to live?

    E.  Are we, and they, ready for the global community of the twenty-first century?  Are we, and they, ready to think of ourselves as world citizens and to act accordingly?