Saturday 2 November 2013

Who is my neighbour?


When you stand for "O Canada", will you be counting your American colleagues, on-line scrabble partners, and facebook friends from around the world as Honorary Canadian citizens?

Your neighbour was never the whole world, just those who come into our life, and The Good Samaritan had compassion on all of them.  That circle has changed, exploded in fact.

My sweetheart is on Vancouver Island while, during the work week, I am in the Okanagan.  By touch she is hours away.  By voice and sometimes sight she is milliseconds away.    My neighbour is any kindred spirit within a second or two at the speed of light.  Kindred may just mean we see mutual advantage in association.  Radio and light that travel 400,000 km/second mean everyone on earth is potentially my immediate neighbour for voice and sight but not touch.

Are you my neighbour?
This has implications for the structure of governments.  Economic and social alliances are still chiefly based on geography but competition is rising from world-wide interest groups that are not of a single nation, language and currency.  This tiny blog you are reading had 3 readers from the Ukraine, 7 from Saudi Arabia and 13 from China yesterday.  You won't find me espousing one world government but I see competing speed-of-light ad hoc alliances that will outrank some armies and nations.  It gets complicated.

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