Today I got to read Kwame Anthony Appiah's "Making Conversation," from his book Cosmopolitanism. He described what, in his view, is the difference between cosmopolitanism and globalism. Whereas globalism can perpetuate a lot of the same problems it professes to solve, cosmopolitanism, when done right, builds human connections across the world that then allow solutions to come naturally. I enjoyed his description of true cosmopolitanism not being condescension for other races but rather a development of habits of coexistence and association between individuals. I think this focus on the individual is so important. I know it's cliche, but strong individuals build strong communities build strong nations build a strong world. And when goals are on an individual level they are accessible to everyone. I can't make my whole city be cosmopolitan, but I can work hard to develop that in myself.
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