Globalization: bridging us closer

or pushing us farther?
A very good evening to our honourable judges, lecturers, and fellow
friends. On this auspicious day, I would like to give a talk about
globalization; bridging us closer or pushing us farther?

Now, when I first read the title, the first thing that came to my mind was,
how could globalization be pushing us farther apart? Most of the time, I
always believed that the phenomenon of globalization have always
brought us closer together; we can talk to people from across the globe,
we now have friends from a multitude of nationalities and people around
the world now share common beliefs and culture thanks to the widespread
coverage of the media. So how is globalization bringing us apart?

I looked back at myself and pondered on how globalization has affected

me. I have friends from Germany, China, Korea, Poland, and Italy. I have
travelled to different countries, met new people and even became
conversant in Italian. I have always considered myself a citizen of the

world and yet, I realize, I cant even have a decent conversation with my
grandmother, who spoke a great deal of dialects. Why? Because I am what
most people would call a Chinese who cant speak Mandarin, a banana. I
was raised in an environment where English was my mother tongue and
grew up following the American culture through the media. I was very
much involved in the phenomenon of globalization, that I have forgotten
my roots, and as I grew up, I became further isolated from the Chinese
culture in which I was born in.

And I am not the only one going through this dilemma of identity. There
are thousands of young people who are becoming more involved with
globalization, thanks to the media, while the older generations are still
trapped in their own world, sticking to their cultures and their roots,
bringing the two generations further apart. Eventually, they will be
alienated from each other on the very same soil they stand together; the
older ones will scorn at the youths for not speaking their mother tongues,
while the youths will feel less compelled to be connected to their own
roots and become further absorbed into the western culture. Globalization
may have brought people across the globe together, yet at the same time,
it takes us further apart from our own culture, where we came from and

who we are. This will affect the future generations as they too may forget
their own culture together if there is no one to pass it down to them.

To get back to our roots, we must practice the rich culture and traditions
that we have inherited from our ancestors. Customs, traditions, and
language are some of the things we are responsible to protect. Did you
know that at least one language dies every 14 days? According to National
Geographic, at least half of the 7000 languages of the world would
disappear by the end of the century as people would abandon their native
tongues in favour of English, Mandarin and Spanish. Can you imagine if
the world could only speak 3 languages? Its exciting but scary at the
same time; on one hand, you could speak to just about anybody, but at
the same time, wouldnt conversations at the local mamak be absolutely
boring? There is no variety, no individuality, no culture, no excitement.
The world would not have been as exciting if everybody around the world
shared the same culture.

We should also learn how to make the local cuisines we have grown up
with such as making kuih, dumplings, mooncakes, and many more rather

than simply purchasing it. Start interacting with your grandparents while
theyre still alive for they are a walking history book with so much to share
and teach. Pick up even a local dialect or two, for you will surely be
accepted to the local society in which you live in.

There is no doubt that nobody can escape the reality of globalization.

Whether we like it or not, it will affect us in a way where we are torn
between the culture of others as well as our own. Therefore, it is up to us
as individuals to preserve our traditions and culture while evolving with
the rest of the world. We must learn to achieve the balance of both worlds
where we can all be citizens of the world while staying true to who we are
so that we can pass it down to our children for future generations to come.
Globalization may have brought the world together, but it shouldnt take
us away from our roots as long as we have the determination to preserve
while being open minded at the same time. Thank you.