Here in the Western world, things have been pretty left-brain ever since Descartes hit the scene. His philosophy's emphasis on empirical evidence and logic taught us to only believe things we could prove scientifically, and led us to understand the world by breaking things down into the smallest possible pieces and putting them together again. Operating under this reductionistic system of thought, we learned to separate things into neat compartments, and we got down to the serious business of science. But here at the cusp of the new millennium, things aren't so simple. Baby boomers are popping gingko and saw palmetto along with Viagra and Prozac.
Women reign in board rooms, men cheer in birthing rooms, and grandmas are sporting new tattoos.
This isn't just another trend. This is a major upheaval. As a result, wildly disparate elements have been coming together lately in all sorts of odd ways. For instance, while plodding my way along a Himalayan pilgrimage route a few years ago, I realized, much to my chagrin, that I was hardly ever more than a stone's throw away from a Coke. I am, however, relieved to note that I'm not the only one who's noticed the increased intermingling and interdependence of once-separate cultures and economies.