Cosmopolitanism

The word "cosmopolitan" seems so common today. It frequently appears in newspaper articles and magazines. Even the name of a particular magazine is "Cosmopolitan". Though we are so familiar with the word … what does it really mean?

The idea of "cosmopolitanism" is not very different from the idea of perfection. An ideal that every person (on an individual level) strives to achieve. But this can be achieved only to a certain extent since perfection itself is limitless. I would define "cosmopolitanism" as "social perfection at a global level". By "social perfection" I mean an unbiased mindset of people towards other people irrespective of their background, social status,history or appearance. How feasible is such an idea as this? Can one look at a so called " criminal" without any prejudice? Can a person look at his enemy as one not very different from himself?

Can we honestly call ourselves a cosmopolitan society? What about other issues that seem to be negating cosmopolitanism- like terrorism , which has caused unimaginable mistrust and fear. The atmosphere is filled with constant suspicion of all that which is unfamiliar and strange- be it people or objects.

In airports all over the world , security has been tightened to its limit since the increase of terror attacks. Every passenger is under suspicion. Tough this is inevitable for security reasons, can it be called cosmopolitan? The kinds of thoughts , feelings and emotions that run through the mind of every passenger while he is rigourously and meticulously checked , can they be termed as a result of cosmopolitanism?

"Cosmopolitanism" as of now is an ideal that the society is striving or wanting to achieve. There are numerous talks, conferences and articles expressing this common desire among highly conscious people. But has this fantastic ideal materialized at a global level?