The Goal of Global Progress Disguises Personal Motivations

Often times in life, we do things to help others, but in the back(and sometimes the front) of our minds we are looking at how we can help ourselves. Globalization has had many affects on developing and undeveloped nations. And let’s be clear; the sharing of ideas and technologies has enhanced the life for many in the world. With very few paying attention, globalization has played a key role in nearly halving global poverty. But, as we’ve learned, imposing values, ideas and beliefs on radically different cultures can often have glaring side-effects.

Ethan Wattersjan’s piece “The Americanization of Mental Health” provides a view that goes beyond common thought. The author argues through research and evidence that we have a profound and sometimes dangerous impact on how the rest of the world views mental health. “Mental-health professionals in the West, and in the United States in particular, create official categories of mental diseases and promote them in a diagnostic manual that has become the worldwide standard,” Wattersjan writes.

This becomes problematic because even when the underlying science is proven and sound, the export of ideas can have frustrating consequences. While we have pushed for greater “mental health literacy”, studies show that we actually treat people more harshly when we categorize their problem in disease terms. By pushing an “anti-stigma” campaign, we may end up with quite the opposite result. This shows that when influencing others, we should do so not by imposing ideas and one-solution values. Cultural practices, throughout history, have almost always been underestimated in their impact.

Perhaps the most compelling element of Kenneth Tupper’s article on the globalization of Ayahuasca healing was the recurring theme of individualism. When we think about transferring ideas or solutions to another nation, our instinct tells us that we are doing so to help others. But we so often see that the personal and political motivations trump and want to help others. Tupper brings up an important topic, the internet, and how it provides hope for the future. Just in the same way that the internet led to the dissemination of knowledge in terms of vegetalismo beyond the amazon, the tool can be used as in important social outlet to empower everyone, including small communities.

It’s important to realize that while globalization runs into many challenges and causes problems, often times the world can use those experiences to find better outcomes. The internet has given a voice to many, and that’s why it’s so important that we ensure a level playing field. The final reading about Brazilian traditions and transnational companies really hit home with me. A colleague and good friend of mine who coaches for the Cornell tennis team was born and raised in Brazil. In spending time with him, I picked up many of the same ideas as the author’s Monteiro and Cannon discuss. The importance of eating together is connected to overall well-being and livelihood. My colleague has mentioned that many of the big fast food chains are making their way across Brazil, but the Brazilian people have responded by simply not consuming the product. As mentioned in the article, the government in Brazil took action to protect their cultural and traditional practices.

Globalization clearly has negative impacts on health outcomes, but it would be ignorant to disregard the progress we have made. The creation of a global marketplace of ideas will lead us to success, but certainly not before we face our fair share of challenges. The issue we face everyday in our own life is the same that global leaders face. We always are thinking about how we could help ourselves before committing to help others. Many will claim this self prioritization is simply a product of American capitalist culture, and that’s where I disagree. People and nations across the world are always looking at how they can help themselves. Before the government can implement policies to hamper the imposement of values, individuals themselves will need get their priorities in check.