Sunday, November 14, 2010

Around the World All the Time

One day, for no apparent reason, something dawned on me. Now this won't be considered a big deal by most, but I found it a bit of a revelation.

I'm born and raised in the U.S.A, and currently residing there. I work for a U.S. company that covers only a small area of the U.S.
I'm driving a car designed and built in Germany. The car rolls on Italian tires that could have been made in any one of several countries. All the fluids in the car are from American companies, but the source chemicals came from God knows where, though the petroleum for most of it almost certainly came from the Mideast.
I'm listening to a Spanish band singing songs with Celtic and/or British origin or influence. The music is playing on a device invented and sold by an American company but made in China.
I'm wearing a shirt made in Pakistan, but the rest of my clothes are made in various Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, China, etc.
My wristwatch is made in Japan.
My cellphone is made in Taiwan by a Taiwanese company, but the carrier is American.

So as I drive to work, the space my car occupies basically represents all the world except Eastern Europe. And who knows, perhaps some of the car's parts were made there.
Each of us is a sort of tiny capitalist United Nations.

This is not a rant about the lack of products made in America, though that is a problem. I very much like the fact that we can purchase products from around the world. It's good when everyone gets a piece of the action.

Granted, many of us are at least vaguely aware of where our stuff is made, so this is rather like I'm pointing out the sky is blue. But I never really dwelled on it before this. Never really tried to think about each individual bit & piece around me.

That's really it.