Yup. Global citizen. And by global citizen, I don't think Chris (and the whole TED team) said anything about attitude and behavior changes. Globalization isn't about the change of lifestyle and the translations of imported physical commodities to our daily life. Globalization isn't about the cup of Starbucks you got per day, isn't about your Apple iPhone, isn't about your Nike shoes.
You can't say you are a global citizen when you wear Armani clothes, Levis' jeans and Converse shoes. That's not global citizen. If, you knew a thing about globalization based only from the physical products you possessed, the celebrities gossip you heard and the Hollywood movie you watched. Basically, you're just a caveman being exploited by capitalists.
But, you can say you're a global citizen when you knew about the news update on how Obama's new regulations can affect your daily life and the latest discovery of stem cell experimentation even though you're stuck in your room with kopi tubruk and a local cigarette.
Globalization is about open-mindedness. The willing to embrace others' opinion, arguments and ideas from around the world. It requires only the moral shift and adjustment--not lifestyle changes and westernized habit. Not about consumption of physical products, not about good fashion sense.
We won't be as advanced as Japan in the term of technology, we can't be as liberal as America in political climate, the best we can do is to cling to our already established cultures. We're Indonesians. You think you can equated yourself with an American just by dressed up like them? No. You can't. But you can be as advanced as any modern countries citizen, even though you're staying in your Batik clothes: by gaining more knowledge and information.
That's the answer. Today, the flows of information and communication had become more valuable than the flow of physical products. You are rich when you possessed more information than most people, even though you go by bus everyday. On the contrary, you are poor when you drive a Lexus yet do not knew about the current affairs in international world. The environment affects our behavior, yes I do understand, but it is not the automatic adaptation that'll bring the next societal evolution, that's not conformity without further thinking that made us develop, nor it is the close mindedness and foolishly hoping that we won't be touched by globalization. Why said bad things about Starbucks, why directly attacked McDonalds and KFC, why blaming Microsoft and Apple? They're just they are.
What power do you have to oppose them? What power do you have to resist them? You don't have any. The biggest roadblock to development is that we keep looking left and right for reassurance, rather than sticking to what we already have, and function it forward for leaping ground.
Globalization touched us already. And yes, it is unavoidable. This is no threat, nor it's something to frighten us. It's something to embrace and celebrate. The future is here. Today. Understand it and make a change.
