Urbanization: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
April 20, 2010Today there are more than 6.7 billion people of Earth. As we voice repeatedly: four billion live on two dollars per day or less. You can imagine what this means. And you don't have to look too far from North America or Europe to see the regions and countries that are ravaged with urban poverty. But take another look back at the developed world, and you will see the supposed height of intellectual advancement. Libraries, colleges, and universities have become tools of the modern era. A crucial first step has been made to fixing urbanization, and of course the answer is education. Proper formal education can eradicate poverty completely. Also bear in mind that enhanced careers which are not boring and repetitive go a very long way to finalizing the educational component of any urban centre. Unfortunately society demands that people partake in meticulous, gruelling tasks that no one wants to truly do day in and day out, but rather are forced to. These jobs can range from general labour on factory floors to the adult selling you your coffee or hamburger. Join us as we take a closer look...
The Good
Cities aren't all that bad, but in trying to look at the good, one must remember that a lot of bad does indeed breed in urbanized areas. Firstly, cities are economically beneficial. They boast the corporate and main offices of many transnational corporations and banks. Furthermore, cities can boast anywhere from 50 to 50,000 more times the employment available in rural centres. As we've already mentioned, education has become an integral part of the developed world. But still, the education system worldwide is broken and outdated, which brings us to our next topic...
The Bad
Sometimes cities grow too fast without a real objective in mind. What's the point in attending a quarter of a life in school if all you're going to do is stack boxes or flip burgers? Don't deny the fact that this happens all too frequently. Not everyone has the ambition of wearing a suit to work every day. Cities accommodate this to a certain extent. But it seems that throughout elementary school and high school the context of the information is not necessarily the key to success, but rather one's adaption to the circumstances of life: live, learn, share, listen, and cooperate. These basic fundamentals begin to apply in numerous variations throughout the course of life. However, the basic meaning remains intact. What we're trying to say that as valuable as formal education may be, there are too many dead ends in life to really make a strong connection and live with any kind of true meaning. Life is complicated and full of dilemmas, issues, and even distorted focus on occasion.
The Ugly
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the filthiest, poorest regions of the world. The people there live less than fulfilling lives, and yet each family operates as a working cell, much different from urbanized regions of the developed world. Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for the poor living in this region. Most have daily access to the amount of water a person in North America would use in a single flush of a toilet. Deforestation in nations like Ethiopia hits hard. The country has witnessed forest coverage dwindle from 40% of the total land to a mere 3% today. A lack of trees has destroyed the natural water cycle and resulted in recurring droubts. What's worse is that arable land is disappearing, and pushing people into cities with little or nothing at all. People are left to selling something, sometimes themselves, on street corners. Poverty in North America is nothing compared to what goes on daily throughout Africa and many other parts of the third world.
Solution
Change the education system. Change the economy. Change lifestyles. Countries across the developing world are sinking in debt. The developed world is experiencing similar debt woes, but has thus far been able to moderate and control the debt by increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This means increasing exports. If your imports are higher than your exports than a country would stand to lose out. Trade has become so important for both the developing world and the developed world, but once again focus is absent. Real ambition will cause great changes to take place. Planet Earth is impaired and restricted by blanket definitions for what is possible and impossible. Far greater things can be achieved than what is going on throughout the entire world today. Urbanization does not have to simply be a pollution causing, unnatural, brick and mortar rat race. The finish line does not have to end at a bank account.
Purpose and meaning in life is of utmost importance. Urbanization presently offers as a distraction to accomplishing purpose and meaning. What is wrong with that picture? The solution is to start with a clean slate; release and forget about your misinterpreted preconceptions.
Posted by Genuine Opinions
