Humanism and "Flat World"

Humanism, is the creation of individuality, of opinions, questioning, personality, discovering ones self, goals, dreams, hopes and fears. The flat world, is the creation of technology, competition, knowledge, and untouchables. These two forces are alike and different in many ways. They are connected because reading about one will tell you the outcome of another. Both revolutionizing how a society will work, creating different meanings of the word individual. Both creating a way of people being unique, but one having an obsession with church and the other technology. Could humanism being the base of the flat world revolution be the outcome of the flat world? Could humanism and it's meaning of individuality become a revolution once again and revolutionize the flat world? Or could the flat world result in utter loss of individuality? Reading about humanism will tell you the outcome of the flat world.

Humanism and the flat world are related by the way they became revolutions. Forces that changed the way people lived their lives to a whole new meaning of life. Humanism is the force that drove the Renaissance revolution. Technology is the force that is driving the flat world. They started a new revolution of the way people thought of themselves. Like in the flat world new technology creates new ways to communicate and that changed the way the world works together. People now think or will think in the flat world like they are just another person, not as an individual. They started a whole new way of defining the way we live our lives. Before these revolutions hit we were living our lives a different way. Before humanism we saw everyone as the same person. Everyone had the same goals, the same understanding of the meaning of life. They wanted to get to heaven and avoid hell at all costs. Humanism started a whole new way of the way we lived our lives. A different definition of the meaning of life. Everyone was one under the church and humanism forced that out and people saw themselves with a different destiny. They realized that there was more to life than living scared, being scared to go to hell. Humanism stayed with us for a long time. There might have been minor changes now and again, but there is still humanism today. The flat world is driving humanism out. Technology and the flat world are a new revolution. We don't classify ourselves as flesh today or what we are physically made of we classify ourselves as where we are from, our accomplishments, where we live, what job we have. Technology is the flat world. That is the force that will drive us to our new revolution. It is opening up doors where we can communicate and collaborate with the rest of the world. That is going to change the way we live our lives. Not only will it change the way we live though it will give life a new meaning. Some people embraced humanism, just like some people are embracing the flat world, and others won't.

Humanism created a new way of thinking of yourself as an individual outside of the church. There was no individuality before humanism. Humanism created contrasting personalities. Everyone thought for themselves and started to become opinionated. People set their own goals, and dream different dreams. Questioned things that they have always believed in. The flat world is changing the way we look at ourselves as a individual. Their revolutions are two different concepts. Individuality is given a new meaning in the flat world, it is no longer what you want to reach, your dreams, where you are in a physical sense. It is what we have or are able to accomplish, and where we live, where we are technology based, our knowledge, and our uniqueness. In the flat world we have dreams, but our dreams all lead to the same things.

One thing that these two revolutions created is uniqueness. Humanism and the flat world are all about being unique. Humanism was a way of expressing yourself outside the church. Being your own unique person, and not being the same as everyone else. Uniqueness and the flat world are very similar to the humanism revolution. In order to really make it in this world, you have to be unique. Or in other words, an "untouchable". An untouchable in Friedman's sense is someone where there job cannot be outsourced. In the flat world you cannot be average. Humanism was the coming out of being ordinary. Everyone had the same beliefs, everyone lived the same and everyone reached out for the same thing. Humanism and the flat world is where everyone reaches for different things. You know what you as an individual wants and you go after it. There are still ordinary people, but the unique, different and creative ones are the ones who make it. In a humanism world and a flat world. They are the ones who people look up to, and strive for what they have.

In the time before humanism, peoples lives revolved around one thing. The Catholic Church. They aided by their rules, everyone lived and thought and dreamed the same. They were in complete obsession with the church. Even when humanism stepped in, people were still scared. People were scared of becoming an individual. Of going to hell because they didn't live exactly to the Catholic rules. The church became a huge obsession. As the humanism revolution became longer and longer obsession started to die off. More and more people started to live their lives differently. Some even questioned the Catholic religion and believed in another, or didn't believe at all. Then the obsession shifted from the church to technology. The new flat world revolution is one big obsession with technology. You can do anything today with technology today. To make it in this world you have to learn technology. It is becoming a ridiculous obsession. You can get anything on the Internet now. If you don't have a computer at home, you could fall behind in school. Cellphones, mp3 players, laptops, high speed Internet, GPS, digital cameras, everything is technology. The obsession with technology is what is forcing this new revolution unlike how obsession with the church forced humanism.

Without humanism their would be no flat world today. We needed the shift from the Catholic church to realizing that you can reach higher goals. Now the flat world is changing that to the world of technology and defining yourself in a different way that still makes up your individuality, but in a different concept as humanism. What we can anticipate from the flatting world is a start of a new concept of individuality. Every revolution started and went through the same steps to end up where they are. The flat world will go through what the humanism revolution went through and end up with the same consequence. So, if you look at humanism it will tell you what you can anticipate and conclude from the flat world revolution.

Faustian Bargain

The Faustian Bargain is the deal Faustus made with a devil that served terrible consequence. What happened is Faustus made a deal with Lucifer, a devil and if Mephostophilis became his servant for twenty-four years and granted him whatever he wished for he would then give his soul to the devil. When the twenty-four years was up, Faustus changed his mind and wanted to repent because he realized what a horrible choice he made. What is meant by the Faustian bargain I think is what you want at the time might not be worth it in the long run. You have to pay the consequences for your actions, and if it is a bad decision you made like Faustus you have to pay for it. Sometimes people make bad choices, but Faustus waited and enjoyed his power until the last second, and that's too late. I think that Faustus got what he deserved. He abused his power by playing tricks on a Pope, and torturing Benvolio and his friends. I also think this because he enjoyed every second of his new power, until it was time to let it go and spend forever in hell. He wanted to repent out of fear, not loyalty to God.

Personal Opinion

I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot from it that I had no idea was going on in the world. I have never read about technology or the businesses of America, and I found all of it really interesting. This book changed my views of America and they way things are run around the world.
I don't really feel like the flat world is effecting me much right now except for the cheaper goods and the way we can communicate with anyone around the world. As I get older though there will be less jobs and more people competing for them. If I get an "untouchable" job as Friedman says I should be secure in the work area, because my job wont get outsourced or off-shored. I feel like the flat world could be a good thing as long as I stay educated and stay focused on what I want. The same goes for friends, they should stay educated and know what to expect as we get older. The flat world could effect some f my friends by their parents losing jobs by them being off-shored, or technology stepping in and taking over. Our parents, teachers and peers could help me and other kids in the flat world by staying educated and up to date on the flat world. They could also encourage us to go after our dreams, and to inform us on what jobs wont be taken over and lost. I don't embrace the flat world, because I feel like America can't rise to the challenge. Other countries are going to get even more educated and skilled than us and they are going to beat us out on all our jobs. We would have to educated ourselves, but there are more Americans that have no idea about whats going on then Americans who do. More and more companies are going to be outsourced and off-shored and American people will suffer. Due to our education downfall we will fall behind on technology and we will start buying from other countries and they are going to get ahead of the game. Otherwise America is going to fall, more than it is already.

Is the flat world a good thing for America?

The flat world is in some ways a good thing for America. Consumers get a lot of the benefit of the flat world. With all the supply-chains, off-shoring, and the other flatteners America consumers get quality products for cheaper prices. American businesses also benefit from the flat world. They can get cheap and smart labor oversees and make good money here in America. You just have to be a big CEO of a company to insure your place in the flat workforce of America. Another benefit of a flat world is technology and the way everyone in the world is connected. The technology of the flat world has made everything so much easier. They are coming up with new ways all the time to continue making the world even flatter. An example is supply-chaining. Walmart has machines packing and doing everything that used to be manual labor. Technology also connected everyone globally, which could eventually become a really good thing. If America educates our people better than they have to keep up with India and other countries, and keeps upgrading technology we should really benefit from the flat world. We just need to get our jobs. We will be in competition with China and India and if we are educated and once again better in the jobs we do and created, America is going to benefit a lot. If we outsource and off-shore less, cut the competition down we will make more money. In order for America to benefit even more, changes need to be made.

What are the potential negative consequences to a flat world?

Internationally, potential negative consequences could be a huge job lose. If we outsource and off-shore more jobs are going to open up in other countries and eventually there will be a masive job lose in the United States. Also America itself in my opinion will lose its edge. India had done a great job educating its natives. America has suffered in the department and its come back to bit us in the butt. Over the years jobs are going to become more and more scarce. People growing up will have to compete with people oversees, and us being less educated, they are more likley to get the companies and the jobs. With all of this happening, America is not on top anymore. We are less of a threat and that opens up a door for terroists. Terriorsts could be a huge consequence to America.

What is "convergence" as Friedman describes it?

The first convergence was all ten flatteners coming together. They are all very important to the flat world but they couldn't flatten the world by themselves. They all had to merge in order to get full effect on successfully making the world flat. By coming together when one flattener grows other flatteners are effected and the world is flattened even more. The second convergence is businesses have collaborated horizontally instead of vertically. Companies and people have to mesh together, interact with one another, and interact with other departments, businesses and companies. Convergence number two changed the work force, it created new habits and changed the way businesses and countries work together. Convergence number three is when countries that followed a soviet plan opened their economies to the world. It added lots more intelligence to the leveled playing field and more countries and businesses started working horizontally across the world. This was a major flattener. When the Berlin wall fell 3 billion more people joined the flat world. These people are now aware of the new business world. Even though only a small portion of the new comers are of help, having so many people effects the way our politics and economies work.

How technology is reshaping human interaction.

How easy is it to talk to someone half way across the world today? Very easy. Years ago, this wasn't so easy for people. Technology has opened up this whole new world to business men, and to people in their homes. Since the invention of the Internet and Netscape, flattener number one, communication has been completely different. Who hasn't e-mailed before? I am willing to bet that almost every single American and a good portion of other countries population has e-mailed before. It has become a huge part of society today. Not only the Internet, but cell-phones. Not only has technology effected the way we interact, but because of the flattened world people are losing jobs in America. India and other outsourced countries are gaining jobs. When Netscape was born and the Internet expanded across America tons of new jobs started happening. When the dot com bust hit even more jobs opened up. As the world started to go flat, business started to realize that we can get cheaper labor and faster service in other countries. Outsourcing, open-sourcing, offshoring, supply-chaining, insourcing and in-forming have become a huge part of the way American business are run now. That means that people are losing jobs in America. Economically technology has helped America. It has created a flat world where we can outsource and get cheaper and better labor. GE was one of the first businesses to realize how educated and intelligent Indian workers are. They took advantage of the new technology world and started communicating and working with India to make computers. India had a huge benefit from this, major up rises in money when Y2K hit. Doctors in America can have medical reports done in India for 50 dollars, in America it would run them 1,000 dollars. If they need someone in Bangalore to help create animation with them on a deadline, they can communicate and have the job done before the deadline is up. Technology in general has reshaped the business world as we know it. Almost every country now has there own sources of technology. Imports and Exports have made the world a whole new place too. This creates open trade with other countries like China. When China joined the WTO America saw this as a huge advantage and started offshoring to China. Now a lot of our goods here in the U.S are made in China, or some other offshoring country like Thailand, Japan or Vietnam. Technology and the way the world is using it is causing the world to go flat. Countries are now intertwined, we all share and feed off each other, and we can all communicate personally or for business purposes thanks to technology.