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Many books and manifestos deal with the dramatic changes that are going on in the world, and with them, the inherent difficulties and dangers humankind is presently facing. They suggest various technical measures to overcome our present predicament. Those measures are of an economic, environmental or political nature.

What is conspicuously missing in most such texts however, is the dimension of cultural and spiritual change toward another mentality that would better suit the present situation.

Of all the objects in our solar system, only Earth can support life. This is the reason we call Earth "Mother Earth." What makes the Earth habitable? It is the right size, the right distance from the Sun, is protected from harmful solar radiation by a magnetic field, is insulated by the atmosphere, has the right temperature range and the right chemical ingredients for life, including water and carbon. The processes that shape the Earth and its environment constantly cycle elements through the planet. This cycling sustains life and leads to the formation of the mineral and energy resources that are the foundation of modern technological society.

One of today's major challenges is violence – not only raw physical violence, but also structural and cultural violence. This type of violence is less dramatic than terrorist attacks, but it is more deadly. It kills 35,000 children a day who are starving from malnutrition. This is structural violence that emanates from money, market forces, machines and media.

A significant segment of the global community submits to one single system – the system of money, of dollars and cents. Mind you, never has so much wealth been produced in the world as in the last 20 years or so and never has the gap between the affluent and the disadvantaged grown so wide.

Cultural violence is linked to structural violence. It is the imposition of one dominant culture, as was already the case under colonialism. Today this kind of cultural imperialism is illustrated by the enthusiasts of economic globalization who brazenly espouse "the West versus the rest."

Our world is choked with ethnocentric arrogance and economic blindness. What we need is more dialogue and openness toward other ways of life. Only in such a world will it be possible to take advantage of the huge opportunities offered by the intensification of human relations made possible by what is fashionably called globalization.

Globalization would then not be restricted solely to its economic dimension but reveal its full potential. It will be a chance for all of us to learn from each other on the basis of reciprocity. Rather that using the word globalization with its heavy economic connotations, one would have to refer to the French term "mondialisation," which carries a larger and less market-oriented meaning.

Globalization – to be understood as mondialisation – would then mean a historical opportunity to enhance cultural mixes which offer new perspectives on life, new approaches, politics and social organizations, as well as stimulating perspectives on spirituality and religion.

One of the tasks we have in front of us is to participate in the creative critique of a materialistic system that is unfair, dangerous to the environment and which leads to the commoditization of the world and the impoverishment of our cultures and spirituality. This is not easy but it would be indeed plain sailing for the initiated.

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(Sekina Joseph is a writer, a social activist and a member of the Malaysian Interfaith Network based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She can be contacted at sknjoseph@yahoo.com. ©Coypright Sekina Joseph.)