Resetting Our Goals

Development is a word that is often used in order to draw people's attention. It's a buzz word for a lot of funding, it gets people interested depending on what follows, and it is very confusing. Rist talks about this a lot in his piece. He mentions that "development" has a lot of different meanings across cultures and times. The word "developed" can describe a plethora of different things - developed countries, developed intelligence, developed goods, etc. All these meanings create hundreds of facets to this complex word.

Australia is a pretty developed country. They care not only about the present, but also about the future. The government and the people of Australia are taking measures to ensure that the environment is cared for, and that their living methods are sustainable.

However, while Australia itself is a well developed country, there are a lot of aspects that could still use some work. The relationships between the native tribes and the rest are not as well developed as they could be. There are a lot of obstacles that they must overcome in order to find the voice and respect that they deserve.

The idea of whether development itself is a good or bad thing is also in question. Some development is frowned upon - like research with stem cells - and other development is applauded - like America electing a president of color. The definition of development is elusive, and malleable depending on the specific subject in question. Hopefully, the world will continue to develop in a positive manner in a sustainable and benign way.