During my recent trip to China we watched a lot of BBC World and CNN International in various hotel rooms. And it was in China where we learned about the awful terrorist bombings in Mumbai, India. Obviously this great tragedy made me very sad and brought back memories of 9/11 here in NYC.
It also got me thinking about the shrunken world in which we live. Here we were watching American and British TV in China and were learning about something that had happened in India. This was something unremarkable and routine in our day but, a century ago, would have been unimaginable. Globalization it's called, and it's here to stay.
And in this global culture, we have seen the rise of more and more "international cities" -- cities like magnets which attract people from around the world. These cities are political, business, and cultural capitals where millions of people come in pursuit of greatness. And for those of us, like New Yorkers, who are citizens of an international city, the rest of the world is literally outside our window and on our streets.
In centuries past there were only a tiny handful of international cities like London, Paris, Rome, Berlin and maybe Istanbul (once Constantinople). Most of these were capitals of the great empires, literally ruling the rest of the world. But today there are many such cities and they span nearly every continent and time zone. Cities like Sydney, Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow, Bangkok, Mumbai, and many others. They may not literally rule the globe anymore but, in many ways, their grasps are greater than ever. These cities excite the imagination and fire up ambition. Almost everyone wants to be a part of them.
Even terrorists. Obviously what has happened in New York and Mumbai, as well as in London and Madrid in recent years, shows that international cities have been and will forever be targets. Clearly, it's important never to forget this.
However, we must never live in fear. Fearful is what terrorists want us to be. We defeat them by our optimism, by our energy and ambition, by our just getting up in the morning and continuing to lives our lives and build our societies. Those of us who live in the international cities of the world, while always being cognizant of its dangers, should be thankful and grateful that we get to live in such a place and should never forget what a blessing it is to have the rest of the world at our feet.
I know I will.
It also got me thinking about the shrunken world in which we live. Here we were watching American and British TV in China and were learning about something that had happened in India. This was something unremarkable and routine in our day but, a century ago, would have been unimaginable. Globalization it's called, and it's here to stay.
And in this global culture, we have seen the rise of more and more "international cities" -- cities like magnets which attract people from around the world. These cities are political, business, and cultural capitals where millions of people come in pursuit of greatness. And for those of us, like New Yorkers, who are citizens of an international city, the rest of the world is literally outside our window and on our streets.
In centuries past there were only a tiny handful of international cities like London, Paris, Rome, Berlin and maybe Istanbul (once Constantinople). Most of these were capitals of the great empires, literally ruling the rest of the world. But today there are many such cities and they span nearly every continent and time zone. Cities like Sydney, Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow, Bangkok, Mumbai, and many others. They may not literally rule the globe anymore but, in many ways, their grasps are greater than ever. These cities excite the imagination and fire up ambition. Almost everyone wants to be a part of them.
Even terrorists. Obviously what has happened in New York and Mumbai, as well as in London and Madrid in recent years, shows that international cities have been and will forever be targets. Clearly, it's important never to forget this.
However, we must never live in fear. Fearful is what terrorists want us to be. We defeat them by our optimism, by our energy and ambition, by our just getting up in the morning and continuing to lives our lives and build our societies. Those of us who live in the international cities of the world, while always being cognizant of its dangers, should be thankful and grateful that we get to live in such a place and should never forget what a blessing it is to have the rest of the world at our feet.
I know I will.
This is truly the era of the Global Village - everything happens everywhere , you're never far away from home, wherever you are !
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