SENTINEL WATCH September 19, 2005 Issue

PRAYERS FOR A FLATTENING WORLD

STEVE GRAY

HUMAN PROGRESS is a vast subject. With more than six billion people living in an almost infinite range of cultures, contexts, and conditions, the phenomenon almost seems too large to contemplate, let alone predict.

But thoughtful observers are seeing patterns emerging in this new century—patterns that portend a remarkable period of worldwide human development, driving massive social and economic change. The signs say this century will see an unleashing of human potential far outstripping any previous period in history.

New York Times columnist Thomas L. Freidman does a remarkable job of identifying the technological and economic forces at work in his new book The World Is Flat. For anyone wanting to understand the evolving human condition, this is a must–read.