Science and technology have ushered in an era wherein more and more people are connected to each other. This also means that in many ways people around the world are becoming very similar. This situation is both – a positive as well as a negative development, which I shall discuss in this essay.
There are many benefits of these global similarities. To begin with, people have become aware of other cultures and so are adopting the good points of all cultures, as a result of which, a global culture has arisen, which is being embraced by people around the world. Secondly, there is more efficient trade between different countries around the globe, thereby improving the economies of developing countries.
There are also many reasons why some people think it to be a negative development. They say that because of this cultural homogenization, national identities are being lost. We eat the same food, watch the same TV programs, listen to the same music and wear the same clothes. People have also started speaking one language, English, in many parts of the world. In fact, English has become the lingua franca today. They opine that the world is beautiful and enchanting because of its diversity. If the diversity is lost, it would become boring.
However, I feel that this is a very narrow definition of national identities and nations are as different as they were ever in the past. Cultural identity is based on far more than just the films we watch or the clothes we wear. For example, take my own culture of India and compare it to the west. We may wear any clothes, but we never take the names of elders and we always call them with respect. In the west, it is quite OK to call anyone by name. In fact, they appreciate it more. I believe that after knowing about other cultures, we learn to respect our culture even more. So, some very deep-rooted national identities will always be there, even if on the face value it is apparent that people are similar.
To conclude, there are more advantages of similarities among nations. People are becoming tolerant of each other and are adopting the best of all cultures. Total loss of national identities can never take place as all cultures have their inherent strengths, which can never fade away.