I had this vision of a new world; a world we are gradually moving into as humanity, as rulers of this planet called Earth, and soon-to-be the galaxy.

It is not only a good time for humanity – the global society – as a whole to experience a paradigm shift at the same time, but also a good time for us to really observe the true meanings of “peace”, “justice”, and “equality”. Will we finally observe what we preach, and put it into action?

2012 is nearing us, and while skeptics of a better world believe it will soon mark the end of the world, I believe that something good is near us – a change in society that will impact the world’s billions of people with a resounding effect, and change us forever.

The signs are clear; they are evident. We see rapid developments in transportation and the tourism sector. We are seeing widespread use of the Internet; Twitter, FaceBook, Plurk, MySpace, Digg, Flickr, YouTube, and Google are all thrown into the mix in the world of social networking, connecting the developed and civilised world. But, what about the rest of them?

It is time to connect the rest of them. And the first step is to recognise, then acknowledge that we, as the dominating species on Earth, are living collectively as people – people of the world, not people of nations.

When the age-old cultures of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are non-existent and no longer practiced, it is time to pull the plug on it, step back, and say, “Hey, it’s time for a change. America’s the new super-power, and instead of letting them assert a monopoly of power on the world, let’s form an alliance with the world as one big nation, and the United Nations as the de facto government; and live together in peace.”

Many cultural practices are already falling apart, and fading away into the abyss of time, long lost in history, only recorded in books. The proof of many cultures may still be there – monuments such as the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City in China, but the most important driving force, the soul – the hearts of the people that practice it, are gone. A culture is a set of mutually-agreed practices among a group of people, and if the group of people experience a paradigm shift and no longer honours the culture in its organic form, then it is time for change.

With many cultures slowly fading away, and new-age cultures emerging, such as the Hip-Hop culture of New York that emerged at the turn of the century, isn’t it time to finally see our efforts culminate in something tangible? Globalisation isn’t something as obscure as a conspiracy theory, it is widely known, and it has happened. We have all experienced it, so why not let it advance to the next stage?

It’s high time to start on real globalisation – in all seriousness, deglobalisation is happening at the wrong time. Make hay while the sun shines, as it says, so why is everyone, especially America, adopting protectionist policies?

This isn’t the way to go. The USA shouldn’t rule the world. China shouldn’t rule the world. Neither should Russia. We, as humans, should rule ourselves. This is our world, a collective world. We should have the freedom to observe our ideals, yet not be constrained to our own nation… we should be free to declare our allegiance to each political camp as we please, with no strings attached and no red tape. Make English the world’s language. Let us express ourselves, and let this be a barrier-free world!

Will it ever be possible? Will North Koreans finally open up to the world? Will the other remaining communist states follow suit, even if North Korea were to succumb to the forces of globalisation? Will people finally learn to respect each other, and love one another as they are of the same kind (human beings), and not fall apart because they are of a different race? Will the USA finally give up their reputation as the world’s sole superpower, and surrender their military prowess? Will the terrorists finally halt their churlish acts? All these are questions that we will have to ask ourselves, and not just by the naysayers – we have to answer these questions.

And, the ultimate question? Will we finally be as one? Yes, if we believe in it. We always believed in things, and they happened. Determination, passion, and zeal – all these, we are capable of. But, are we ready to unlock the door, and tell ourselves, “this is the way for us”?. Not the only way, but the best way ahead?

I am sure we can achieve it. And for the record, I am only 16 years old. No, I am not being naive. It’s something else, something we all ought to have – faith.

Let’s all build a barrier-free world for all!