A World Without Borders
Betty Wu
Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run
faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning in Africa a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up you better start running.
Thomas Friedman, a political columnist for the New York Times, has presented in his recent book “ The World is Flat” a thought-provoking view of the present global economy. He states that who is the lion or who is the gazelle does not matter but what does matter is that global technology has forced the world’s economies to run faster and faster!
In the 15th century Columbus’ travels proved the world is round but 21st century technology has created a flat world, leveling the economic playing field.
The annoying call that interrupts your dinner soliciting purchase of various services is not originating from out of town but surprisingly from out of the country. Remote Bangalore in southwest India, known as India’s silicon valley, is emerging as a vital pool for outsourcing service and technological information from America. And Dalian in northeastern China, aptly named the Bangalore of China is emerging equally as a high tech area.
Mr. Friedman passionately believes that international collaboration and cooperation has flattened the world removing major economic barriers. As I absorbed the contents of “The World is Flat”, I realized that though technology has removed economic barriers a more potent force has quietly been breaking down social and cultural barriers throughout history.
When God told Abraham, that all the peoples on earth will be blessed through him, that statement was a precursor of Jesus commanding his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. This startling command must have unnerved the disciples. The radical idea of extending the Gospel message beyond Israel’s boundaries shifted God’s blessing solely from the covenant people to the Gentile world. A believing Jew would now be held in the same esteem in God’s eyes as a believing Gentile.
Missionaries extending this revolutionary command traveled to all continents with the Gospel Message preaching that the body of Christ does not recognize racial or cultural barriers.
Galatians 3:26-29 reinforces God’s universal and inclusive nature: You are all sons of God through believing faith in Christ Jesus…..there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you are all one in Christ.
Technology may have flattened the world’s economic borders but the simple message of Christ’s sacrificial love has been steadily and effectively tearing down quietly all man erected ones.