Global Citizen - what, where, who - maybe U?

Well, what a weird and wonderful world we live in.

For many of us at least - not trying to deny there is hurt, injustice and people suffering all around this planet right now. What I'm refering to is how much our world has changed, how fast it has been changing in the last few decades and yet, how not much has changed after all.

Don't worry, I'm not about to get all philosophical on you - just want to try and take a bird's eyeview of where the planet, and us living on it stand. I'll try to manage it in a few paragraphs just to show it is possible to say a lot in a few words. You be the judge of how I fare ...

The term "Global Village" has become rather passé. Yet we do live in an interconnected world and the latest financial crisis has finally proven that without a doubt. Global warming and climate change rams that rod of truth home daily. However, what has really connected us is the digitalisation of most things and the ability for mass communication and interconnectedness that binds us into what I term the "Global Citi".

The connected part of the globe is like a regular city where everthing and everyone is rather close to each other, and it is a place that never sleeps. Those parts of the globe not really connected yet is akin to the countryside outside this city. Our Global Citi is by it's very nature a cosmopolitan metropolis where people from all cultures, all countries and all geographic lareas are connected. As everywhere else the citi dwellers and the "outsiders" in the countryside are disconnected.

It does in many ways resemble the Royal seat of power in ancient empires and later in ancient Greek and other city states. To a lesser extent it resembles ancient Rome. In all cases it is a cosmopolitan metropolis where people from all races, cultures and religions and occupations meet. Yet they are all dominated by the dominant culture which sets the tone, and is tolerant of others as long as it's own primacy is not threatened.

So in short I propose that we already live in a Digital GlobalCiti, that we are interconnected and communicate within the realms of this Global City State and, to the extent we do so, we are slowly becoming Global Citizens wether we realise it or not.

Based on this postulate I wonder what a Citizen in this GlobalCiti is, how will we define and describe this creature? How will these citizens behave, what rights and or power do they have and how will their collective efforts and influence impact on the "old" world of Nation States that still prevail, for the time being?

Feel free to comment, I'm open for debate ...