It's not easy to say anything memorable in a commencement address. Most of you would forego this part of the program altogether. Last fall, in the space of less than six weeks, I made separate trips to China, South Africa, Brazil, and Japan. I had read extensively about the new global economy, driven by information technology, but I was frankly unprepared for the cumulative impact of directly witnessing, in such a short span of time, the remarkably similar ways in which such different cultures on different continents are now confronting the challenges of this global revolution and struggling to deal with issues of wealth and poverty, the quality of life and the environment, and how to govern effectively and justly. It is actually quite easy to observe the most superficial aspects of this phenomenon.
Cell phones are ubiquitous in the big cities of Asia and Latin America.
While regulated international telephone rates remain surprisingly high in some parts of the world, cyber cafes have proliferated even in remote locales. Checking your email has truly become easier than phoning home. Though sub-Saharan Africa is the most impoverished area of the world, economically and technologically, the universities, corporations, and government agencies of South Africa are thoroughly connected to the Web. The ability to instantaneously connect, and the close resemblance of urban lifestyles around the globe, are signs both of the immense changes underway and false reflections of cultural sameness. The trends sweeping the globe are largely unmitigated and unregulated, with no institutions to hold them accountable to any larger ends or responsible for any social goals.