I will go

Globalization. What is it doing to our world? Is it flattening it, as Thomas Friedman has phrased it? Are all peoples unique and sometimes, frankly ridiculous strands of tread being spun together, to form a color with no meaning, no passion, no life?

There are two main components of culture: language and religion. Together these entities are able to create something magnificently unique within us. They are the two fundamental things which we are taught when we are small. And hopefully, they are something that we will cherish for the eternity of our lives. However, both language and religion are being marred by globalization.

As Robin Hood has pointed out, English has become the world's lingua franca. As such, languages everywhere are dying out. Ethnologue considers 516 languages as nearly extinct. The few older speakers of these languages, who are still living, are not passing on their language to their children. Every time a language crosses the threshold and becomes extinct, we, as people, lose something. I know not what can be done. However, I am puzzled to think of what might happen if we ourselves attempted to preserve a language. A language is considered to be dead when there are no people who speak it as their first language. Therefore, if one was to raise their children speaking a dead language only then, in reality there would be a native speaker, and, as such, the language would no longer be dead. I know that this method of revival would not work for the majority of languages, as it requires, among other things, that the language be written down. I also know that the practicality of doing this is highly debatable. But then again, since when has practicality been a concern of mine.

Religion has also been changed in the face of globalization. It would appear to me that many people are increasingly not believing the beliefs which they proclaim to believe. People are more concerned with the "freedom of religion" than the actual religion which they are a part of. What happened to the time when religion was something to die for?

"MacIan turned upon him with a white face and bitter lip. 'Sir,' he said, 'talk about the principle of love as much as you like. You seem to me colder than a lump of stone; but I am willing to believe that you may at some time have loved a cat, or a dog, or a child. When you were a baby I suppose you loved your mother. Talk about love, then, till the world is sick of the word. But don't you talk about Christianity. Don't you dare say one word, white or black, about it. Christianity is, as far as you are concerned, a horrible mystery. Keep clear of it, keep silent upon it, as you would upon an abomination. It is a thing that has made men slay and torture each other; and you will never know why. It is a thing that has made men do evil so that good may come; and you will never understand the evil, let alone the good. Christianity is a thing that could only make you vomit, till you are other than you are. I would not justify it to you even if I could. Hate it, in God's name, as Turnbull does, who is a man. It is a monstrous thing, for which men die. And if you stand here and talk about love for another ten minutes it is very possible that you will see a man die for it."

I am not advocating that people should kill for religion, (neither was Chesterton) merely that people be willing to die for it. Nor am I claiming that people no longer have faith, that people arenot willing to be martyred. I am, however, advocating that people actually believe.