Needed: global thinking.

• Author: Howell, Llewellyn D.

SOME PEOPLE maintain that the word "globalization" is overused. It is said to be a catch phrase employed to add sophistication to issues that otherwise totally might avoid attention. That may be so, but there are reasonable arguments that the concept (not just the word) communicates a distinct characteristic of the human environment about which everyone had better be aware.

For example, Americans are talking again about global warming. For several years, winters had been cold and bitter, but this is explained as counter to the trend because of the dust filter generated by Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. The eruption was so powerful that tons of particles were blasted into the atmosphere and have sheltered the Earth from some effects of the sun. Now that the dust is clearing, mild winters and warmer weather generally are back.

In both aspects of this meteorological issue, people are thinking globally. Fifty years ago, few would have known and fewer would have cared about even an event of volcanic proportions 8,000 miles away. Now, discussion of the ozone layer and El Nino is common. Most realize that geologic activity in the Philippines can have dramatic effects on the far reaches of the globe. Just ask American farmers or ski resort operators.

Consider another of the globalization arguments. It used to be that individuals could escape from society and live off the land in a remote location. A few hearty souls still make attempts at this in northern Idaho, the Outback of Australia, or Siberia, but for the vast majority of humanity, this no longer is possible. Almost any place that is habitable is inhabited already.

The expansion of the human population has resulted in a multiplicative explosion in human relationships. By examining the population as communication dyads, the opportunity for interaction becomes clear. With two people, there are two communication lines--a to B and B to A. With three people, there are six. Add another person, and 12 communication lines exist, etc.

This pattern of expansion has resulted not only in a growth of opportunities for relationships that are positive, but for those that could turn sour. If one of the latter becomes a conflict, it can turn the others into tinder for a conflagration. Contagion theory rests on the impact of these intertwined variables--proximity and opportunity. With the dramatic increase in population, there obviously are many more opportunities for an act by one to reach any of the...