Friday, April 24, 2009

Blog Assignment #1

Toward the end of the Q and A at the end of his talk at MIT, Thomas Friedman spoke on the "competing forms of imagination" illustrated by "11/9" (referring to 11/9/89 when the Berlin Wall came down and the same period when the Windows operating system was marketed) and "9/11" (when the World Trade Center and Pentagon were bombed by Qaeda terrorists). Friedman asserts that "imagination is the only thing not commoditized in a flat world." It was different imaginations that brought down the Berlin Wall and the Twin Towers.

In his inauguration speech on January 20, 2009, President Obama said:

"To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

In considering Friedman's notions of 
imagination, and President Obama's pledge to people in developing nations, do you see yourself responding to the change he is calling for? How? Will you heed the admonition to avoid "indifference to suffering outside our borders"? How? Will you personally evaluate and perhaps change your resource consumption? How? Do you agree with Friedman's assertion that we need to develop, and encourage others to develop a more "positive imagination"? What will you do about this personally? What does it mean to you as an individual, as Friedman exhorts, to "export hope and not fear"? How might you do this?

Please consider these questions and write a short blog entry 
by midnight on Friday. Upload your blog's URL via the link in this week's folder.

I think it is far too easy for us to get caught up in our own lives; we often put on blinders that shut out the world around us. I think it's extremely important for us to do whatever we can to remove those blinders and to think more globally. Certainly this is easier said than done. What can one person do to make a change in the world? Of course, if we all have that state of mind nothing in the world will ever progress. However, on the flip side, if we all do our part, the world will begin to change. Considering Friedman's idea on differing imaginations, we can see both sides of the spectrum. As we develop a positive imagination and act on those ideas we have, I believe the world will change for the better. In doing this I believe we will avoid "indifference to suffering outside our borders." For me personally, I want to become more informed about the world around me, especially those in third world countries. 
Going along with this indifference toward those who are suffering, I also think we often take on a state of indifference when it comes to our resource usage. Again, I believe if we all did our part--if we used less electricity, less water, etc.--the world wouldn't be in such a crisis. I do agree with Friedman's assertion that we need to develop and encourage others to develop a more "positive imagination". For me personally, this means that  I will strive to be optimistic in these troubling times, and do my small part to change it. From a gospel standpoint, I think it's important to remember the promise that "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear." Going along with this, I can "export hope and not fear" by again staying optimistic. I'm led to think of President Hinckley; I believe he is an amazing example of exporting hope. It's important, I believe, to not get caught up in the negativity that circulates all news mediums.