Globalism vs. Local Strength

Why Local Communities Hold the True Power of Resilience

Photo by Joshua Rawson-Harris on Unsplash

The Illusion of a Borderless Utopia

For decades, we’ve been told that the world would be more equitable, peaceful, and prosperous if we could simply erase our borders, pool our sovereignty, and march together toward a “global good.” The champions of globalism, many of them well-meaning idealists, believe nationalism is an outdated relic, a stumbling block on the road to progress. They dream of a borderless planet, governed not by nations rooted in distinct histories and values, but by international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, or the World Economic Forum, entities that promise unity but often deliver uniformity.

I don’t ascribe nefarious motives to these globalists. Many are genuinely driven by compassion and a desire to prevent war, disease, and poverty. But good intentions do not guarantee good outcomes. The problem with globalism is not its moral aspiration, it is its faulty assumption about human nature and the diversity of human experience. It is built on the false premise that all cultures value the same things, seek the same ends, and define “progress” in the same way.

Human beings are not identical units in a global machine. We are moral agents shaped by family, faith, history, and geography. The idea that we can dissolve these distinctions into one seamless “global identity” is not progress, it’s erasure.

The Beauty of Distinction

The miracle of civilization is not found in conformity but in diversity, the real kind, not the performative kind preached by elites at global summits. Every nation has its own story, every community its own rhythm, every family its own moral compass. God, in His wisdom, scattered humanity across the earth not to divide us in hatred, but to cultivate variety, innovation, and resilience.

The Bible tells us of the Tower of Babel, humanity’s first globalist project. People united under one language and purpose, seeking to “make a name for themselves” (Genesis 11:4). Their goal wasn’t evil on the surface; they wanted unity and strength. Yet God intervened, not because unity was bad, but because the kind of unity they sought, one without moral grounding, was dangerous. When men gather under a single human authority, the temptation to worship power over principle always follows.

Globalism, at its core, repeats the Babel error. It imagines that the solution to human suffering is centralization, when in fact, centralization breeds fragility. The greater the tower, the harder the fall.

Why Local Control Matters

Resilience, the ability to recover and thrive amid crisis, does not come from distant committees in Geneva or Brussels. It comes from people who know their land, their neighbors, and their needs.

Local communities are the laboratories of human flourishing. They are small enough to respond swiftly, flexible enough to innovate, and personal enough to care. When government is close to the governed, accountability grows, empathy thrives, and wisdom can take root.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw firsthand what happens when global bureaucracies try to dictate one-size-fits-all solutions to complex local realities. The WHO’s declarations often lagged behind local experiences. Nations that acted independently, relying on their own scientists, institutions, and traditions, fared better than those that waited for global consensus.

Resilient societies are those that cultivate strong local institutions, churches, schools, small businesses, and community networks. These are the true safety nets of civilization. When disaster strikes, it is not the United Nations that shows up with a casserole or a shovel, it’s your neighbor.