Globalization Isn't Americanization - Learn a Wider Perspective グローバルって何？

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I'm not alone! I felt so while reading the following passages of Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind by Geert Hofstede, Gert Jana Hofstede and Michael Minkov:

'The ongoing process of globalization... (is) perceived by the Asians as "Westernization" and by the Nordic Europeans as "Americanization."'

The book goes on to say, "In our interpretation, the main value-based objections of these Asians and Northern Europeans were directed against the short-term focus of this kind of globalization...... Their (i.e., Asian and Northern European) respondents saw good government as future-directed, while the ongoing U.S.- and IMF-led globalization stressed quick fixes..."

I'm writing this because I've been feeling lonely and lost at work these days. I find it increasingly difficult to deal with my Japanese boss criticizing my American coworkers for only talking, but doing nothing and these Americans saying that the Japanese boss is too difficult and bossy. (He's their boss!) But to me, they're the same, just being unaware of seeing things only from their perspective.

I once thought about choosing a side, i.e., one of these my selves, to belong to somewhere and to relieve me of, as a native Japanese speaker, a sense of obligation to explain why Japanese don't speak up and, as someone who wants to be a real global citizen, a sense of obligation to keep learning English to better and more globally communicate with anybody on the earth, but I couldn't make such a choice. I don't want to give up part of myself.

So instead, I've been growing another personality which just calmly observes my first self politely bowing and speaking to Japanese colleagues while my second self speaking with non-Japanese too positively and assertively from the Japanese perspective. This third self accommodates the other two, giving me a wider perspective.

That’s why I like reading. Reading gives us not only knowledge but also friends (kind of imaginary friends, though!), making us feel less lonely!

最近、アメリカ人と仕事することが増え、違和感上昇中です。でもそれは私が日本人だからというわけだけではないらしい！Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mindによると、北欧の人は「グローバライゼーション＝アメリカナイゼーション」と思っていて、長期的思考を好む彼らは、短期的思考のアメリカナイゼーション（アメリカ式考え方）を必ずしも快くは思っていないようです。

で思ったのが「どっちか選べたら楽なのにね」ということ。「日本一番、後は無視（日本語ができれば英語なんていらん！）」か「ついて行きますアメリカに（どこかの国の首相？）」のどっちかを選べればいいのに｡｡｡

でも、オランダ人の著者も、グローバライゼーション（アメリカナイゼーション）に違和感を覚えつつ、どちらを切り捨てることもせずに複数の視点を持ち続けようとしている。私も頑張ろう、と思いました。

読書していると友達（こちらが勝手に思っているだけですけど）が見つかる時があります（笑）。