Global Village or Local Continent? Which Direction Are We Heading?

Dear Friends,

Yesterday (07 February 2025), Nature published an article titled “Have Trump’s anti-DEI orders hit private funders? HHMI halts inclusive science programme.” The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a major funder of biomedical research, has cut a $60-million initiative aimed at boosting diversity in science education. As a result, it has terminated grants to 104 U.S. universities approximately midway through a six-year funding cycle—without any explanation.

This is not an isolated case. The new U.S. tariffs will have a spiraling effect on the world economy. The U.S. has imposed a steep 25% tariff on most imports from Mexico and Canada and a 10% levy on all imports from China. In response, Canada, China, and Mexico have implemented identical levies on U.S. imports.

Visual Capitalist recently published an interesting article highlighting the risks: “Hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese and U.S. products are at stake. These include electronics and textile exports from China to the U.S. and agricultural and oil and gas exports in the opposite direction. Additionally, a trade war could lead to significant job losses in the export economies of both countries.”

Just last week, we submitted a proposal to USAID. Surprisingly, within minutes of submission, we received news that USAID is facing scrutiny. The resulting budget cuts have disrupted the lives of its 10,000 employees and the thousands of contractors working with them (Economic Times, Feb 07, 2025).

This shift towards localization will also impact students aspiring to pursue master’s degrees abroad. Many of our software service companies rely heavily on global contracts, and these changes will undoubtedly affect fresher hiring.

What does this mean? While globalization is still talked about, the world is increasingly moving towards localization. The troubling aspect of this shift is that, regardless of how many years you live in a place, you remain geo-tagged to your place of birth, and your original identity often determines your future.

Ancient Indian wisdom, as quoted in the Maha Upanishad (Chapter 6), reminds us:
अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्। उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥
(Ayam Nijah Paro Veti Ganana Laghucetasam, Udaracaritanam Tu Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.)

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—"The world is one family"—is not limited to humanity alone. It encompasses all life forms: humans, animals, plants, and the entire natural world. It reflects a cosmic vision—One Earth, One Family, One Future.

Perhaps the Lord has His own plan for every living entity on this earth. Let us wait and see how He unfolds it.

Ravi Saripalle