Editorial

That the Gap between the rich and the poor grows every wider was the news from a new UN economic report released July 15. And this gap is not only between the overdeveloped countries and the developing ones, but also within countries. Various report have been released about the United States indicating that the gap is widening and the disparity is intensifying between the haves and the have-nots. The gap is becoming a chasm that all the ecological, social, and economic integrity on the planet is falling into.

But there is more to the gap than just the measure of how much money people have to spend. The globalization of the economy is the larger issue. The globalized economy wreaks havoc with all aspects of our social structures, cultures, health, governance, environment as well as our basic economic well-being.

Judy Bradys article about the Globalization of Cancer connects the corporations' profits gained from the creation of cancer-causing substances to the profit from treating that same cancer. From the International Forum on Globalizations Global Teach-Ins, we have the speeches of Jerry Mander and David Morris. Jerry Mander speaks of the various effects of globalization that the media doesnt report on. And David Morris explains how we should and could create new rules to help our local communities fight the effects of the multinational corporations on our local economies.

In Losing Ladakh Helena Norberg-Hodge paints the picture of what the globalization of local economies in the developing world looks like when it destroys the centuries-old sustainable local economy and culture of Leh, the capital city of Ladakh. The side-bar with this article tells of the Grain Train Robbery in Mexico, a telling tale of the effects of NAFTA.

One of the underpinnings of economic globalization is the telecommunication infrastructure. The article by Fred Johnson, who will be the guest editor of the Fall issue of Synapse, ties the effect that the globalization of the telecommunication infrastructure is having now and will have on our social, cultural and economic structures as more and more of the world is linked together into one large network. The real purpose of this network? For multinationals to move their capital at will at the speed of light around the planet.

If you think all of this is bleak, Richard Grossman offers a solution in his article, Ending Corporate Governancehow to take the legal power back from the corporations. This is followed by two articles by Laural Delind that offer ways to keep our local agriculture economies alive.

The globalization of the economy does seems like an overwhelming issue. It makes us rethink the saying, Think Globally and Act Locally. We also need to Think Locally and Act Globally. Over the next several decades, I believe that the globalization of the economy and the power of the multinational corporations are the defining issues for the survival of our species on this rapidly deteriorating planet. To help us work on this seemingly overwhelming task we are offering several retreats and workshops this fall. Building Communities of Resistance and Renewal with Starhawk and David Miller, will empower us spiritually to face the many obstacles that we will encounter in the struggles ahead. From our own local community, Tom Shea will collaborate with Peter Dougherty to offer Nonviolence Training this November at the Center. Also in the fall schedule is Toward Understanding, a workshop led by the American Friends Service Committee to help us learn tools to dialogue around issues of sexual orientation.

Looking ahead to 1997, we are exploring a workshop series Salon Weekends featuring Stephanie Mills. Our Salon Weekends provide a chance to delve deeper into philosophical societal questions in a relaxed atmosphere, with time out for personal reflection and rejuvenation. And on the personal level, we are considering sponsoring a workshop to help those dealing with grief and loss issues, led by John Schneider and Jim Miller, both pioneers in this field. We are asking for your feedback on these workshops to see if there is interest in these topics (see page 22). Please let us know if you are interested.

And, finally, an apology for the tardiness of our Summer Solstice issue. Sometimes the labor and delivery take longer than we would like. As always, we invite you to give us a call if youd like to help us with this work. There is always something to do here.

Return to the Index of Summer 1996