Surging Ahead?

The global economy is surging ahead. roughly speaking, if compared with earlier decades, the amount of materials produced or procured in the last 2 decades would be equal to what humans did in a century earlier... just to give an idea of the jump in growth. (Despite current share market fall, increasing prices & inflation).

multiculturalism and global interchange i believe has a big impact on this growth. more than ever we, humans are now trying to develop techniques to make us more efficient - may it be indegenous technology or borrowed / bought from another country.

our working styles (read management styles) also are becoming more eclectical. Management systems which became popular in Japan in the 70's & 80's have now been adopted in many other countries to such an extent that its impossible to identify them as Japanese now. Of course, a management Guru who came out with such management systems Dr. Deming was an American.

But then, why do opposition for using foreign techniques and styles exist so much even today? why often it flares up into xenophobia even? Change is a stressor... regardless of what it brings. Every change brings positives and negatives... or advantages & dis-advantages. (just as Crisis can be read as danger & opportunity in one language script).

Thus often in the initial stage of change, the negatives or dis-advantages loom large. Often exploitative wanna be leaders spread fear by exaggerating the negatives of forthcoming change to group people together. In the last few decades the rationality of human mind has won over such fear mongering. The 2nd world war was the last time when falsly generated hatred lead to world wide damage.

But can we rest on the laurals of the last 6-7 decades? The need to re-assert that we all are one, and need to work together as a team to develop remains. Often such fundamental reminders are neglected by popular media, as entertainment seems to takes over information dissemination.