How Cults Explain the World

The reading we did this week was especially interesting to me because it put globalization in terms that I could relate to. Prior to this week, my idea of globalization consisted of Nike factories exploiting children in China and Nestle using forced labor to harvest cocoa beans, but How Soccer Explained the World made me realize how much globalization has influenced my own town in Iowa.
I come from Fairfield, Iowa, home to the Maharishi University of Management and about 5 minutes away from Maharishi Vedic City, the Capital of the Global Country of World Peace (not formally recognized by the United States Government). The majority of people who live there are a part of the Transcendental Meditation movement founded by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Most of the people involved, know as gurus or ‘ru’s to outsiders, believe that they can fly when they meditate, bring world peace through their ‘blissful vibes’ and are enlightened.
The primary motivation behind globalization is money, so I’ll start with the Raam. Similar to the dollar, raam comes in 10, 50, and 100 raam denominations (1 raam is equivalent to 1 dollar). Maharishi Global Financing, the treasury of the Global Country of World Peace, prints the raam. Although this money is not considered legal tender by many banks or the city government, it serves its purpose by encouraging people to keep money within the movement. The movement has also made an effort to attract outside businesses and wealthy followers. To do so, million dollar Sthapatya Veda houses were built on the outskirts of town. Despite the attempt to keep money in the movement virtually everything sthapatya veda comes from oversease, and the sudden influx of people and money from all over has affected the whole area. For example, the local parks have been vastly improved due to donations by newcomers.
Another aspect of globalization is the collision of cultures. The ‘preferred language of Maharishi Vedic City is Sanskrit. Many of his teachings have their roots in Hinduism. Maharishi created quite the culture clash when he decided to build his university in rural Iowa. As a farming state, local farmers were put on the offensive when the ‘ru’s tried to use eminent domain to shut down century farms because they found the smell offensive. Again, townies were put on the offensive when the ‘ru’s tried to pass of pandit housing as low income housing (pandits are shipped in from India to increase the concentration of meditators in Fairfield and are not U.S. citizens). For a while, the whole meditating community was, in essence, quarantined because of the fear that one of the many cases of T.B. brought in by the Indians had spread. Everything from train whistles to the civic center sparked a heated controversy punctuated by ‘us vs. them’ editorials in the local paper. However, despite the culture clash, the two cultures have also had positive influences on each other. For example, the ‘ru’s brought in the Art Walk, a monthly festival that the whole town enjoys. The farmers have started growing organic crops that are sold to the university. For better or for worse, the two sides must coexist.
Some of you guys wanted more info on the T.M. movement, so here are some links; this is also where I got some of my info from:

Maharishi University of Management
Maharishi Vedic City
Peace Palaces