The 21st Century: Facts Materialized, logic prevailed and Clock will Never go Back
This is indeed great times despite some ruffle here or there. The world has changed for ever and irreversibly. Science has made it possible. Internet, satellite TV, mobile phones and jet planes made the world a small village. No more big guys, no more masters, no more emperors and no more supernormal people.
The playing field is leveled and one has to have the knowledge, the skill and the dedication to succeed. To be an entrepreneur nowadays probably requires more thinking and more courage than capital. In fact these two what makes the difference? One big change brought by science and technology is that the playing field has become much bigger than we could have imagined.
Someone in deep Nebraska could be concluding a deal with someone in deep India or Nepal without both having to move. Knowledge has become available to everyone and no more elite cartels that monopolized information and knowledge and used it sometimes to misinform, mislead or take advantage of the people.
The 21 century, as it approaches the end of its first decade, is clearly the people's century. However, people must show that once they are in charge and no longer oppressed by dictators, they can live up to the challenges and they are not a few of them. Freedom comes with a price. Corruption, drugs addiction, poverty, unemployment, dwindling water resources and harm to the environment are the biggest challenges facing the people in their century.
Whatever international institutions created in the 20th century to organize the world community, they were created with governments in mind. It is time they are now reviewed with the people in mind. Safety, dignity and well-being of the people should be the ultimate goal of all such organization.
The positive aspect of the 21st century, it seems, is that all cards are open and there are less hidden agendas in managing world affairs as people become more informed and can draw their own conclusions. People, directly or through governments, in their century, need to rationalize competing with each other and consider integration as a better alternative to competition and protectionism which will lead us sooner or later to dead end.
Hamad S Alomar
Riyadh
