Why Go Global?

We go global
   because Ulysses, a landmark of modernist achievement,     influences contemporary lit.
   because Machu PIchu and Petra continue to reveal and puzzle.
   because China and India influence global decisions.
   because CERN is doing profound and cutting edge work.
   because our genesis, according the current best explanations, is  Africa. 
   because of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
   because we are the children of many forebears, including ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Sumer.
   because the world influenced American music, and, through hip hop, we influenced the world!
   because some of the most important films being made aren't in English.
   because people are hungry here, here, and here.
   because Finland knows exceptional  education, as do New Zealand and Singapore.
   because the Amazon is being destroyed, and it may hold the cures to countless diseases.
   because young people, all over the world, teach us by standing like noble giants against profound challenges.
   because, in our own backyard, we manufacture profits for Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
   because engaging with the other, with diversity, broadens perspectives and deepens understanding .
   because there's just so much to do and see...
 

       I love this activity, which I've adapted from a  creative writing class.  In class, it orients our thoughts so that we are in the right mindset.  Students complete the following statement: "I write because..."  Responses manifest formally, in lists, or liberally, in free verse.  Often, the responses testify to the unrestrained verbosity of young artists; other times, they bespeak brevity.  In all cases, they compel the writer to become reflexively aware.  The question slows us down.  It forces contemplation.  It doesn't prompt a thousand "likes" or immediate followers.  The process is personal, challenging, and important. 
    The responses are a treasure.  I love students reminding me that I've stripped them of free will: "...[because] you told me to!"  But I savor those thoughtful responses, the soulful ones, that acknowledge the impact of writing on both readers and writers.  They say that we write because it "feels right;" we write because, though our voices may be quiet, our writing can scream; we write because something needs to be said; we write, as E. M. Forster reminds us, to "Only connect!"  The students know the value of connections.  In the midst of the tempests of self-discovery, they realize connections are an education and an opportunity. Don't we think globally for the same reason? 
    Our school mission charges us to "...improve the fabric of society..." This is a lofty precept, but it is an essential pursuit.   What are the boundaries of society?  Where do we draw the lines?  In a world in which Skype can put a student in Birmingham  face-to-face with someone in Dakar, why do we draw lines at all?  Given the diminishing boundaries, isn't it more accurate to think human than citizen? Geopolitical issues notwithstanding,  we are ethically bound to consider all people--to try to connect with the entire world. 
    The short answer to why we go global is that we all comprise the same fabric.  My choices--my ideas, by degrees, impact everyone.  They enrich our tapestry, or they unravel it.  The best answer, however, is Forster's.  When we authentically connect, we make a thoughtful decision to embrace the world.  Should we allow disagreements to fester, or step towards resolutions?  Should we rest comfortably in a vacuum of expression, or should we be overwhelmed by diversity?  Should we embrace the delusion that we own the best ideas, or should we acknowledge that genius resides everywhere?  
    My list above is sincere.  Each of those reasons, and countless more, are justifications for our Global Initiative.  But none are possible without the simple desire to connect.   It bridges gaps and fosters a universe of possibilities.
  


Niko Tsivourakis
Director of Altamont's Global Initiative 

Only connect!  That was the whole of her sermon.  Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height.

-E. M. Forster, Howard's End