For over 40 years, kids visiting Disney’s Magic Kingdom Theme Parks have unwittingly been exposed to the ”one world” mantra through the ”It’s a Small World” attraction (a boat ride). I can’t remember the last time I was in there, but the lyrics of the constantly repeating theme song are still fresh in my mind today…”it’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all, it’s a small, small world” (Yikes!).
DIGRESSION: This reminds me of something I once heard an old preacher say. He dismissed people’s claims that they couldn’t memorize Biblical passages with the following retort: “How many songs by your favorite musical performers can you sing in their entirety, from memory, years after they were first released?”
Now that I’m an adult, I’ve found that one of the best examples/expressions of globalization and the “one world” theme is at an IKEA store. Like the “Small World” attraction, you enter at one end and after a serpentine passage through a bewildering assortment of retail “attractions”, you emerge at the other end – where a small restaurant awaits you. By then, you’re suffering from sensory overload. You’ve had to serve yourself at each stop along the way and grappled with crowds of people whose cultural notions of space and propriety are different from yours. On top of that, you may still have to go down to the self-serve warehouse, pick the large items you want off the shelves, and figure out how to get them in or onto your vehicle for transport home. [By the way, remember to bring your own rope or cords - the free twine they have at the loading dock is pretty much worthless, particularly if you have to drive home on the freeway.] At this point, the restaurant and its tables seem like an oasis in the desert. You think, “maybe I’ll just stop here and rest for a few minutes”. The next thing you know, you’ve convinced yourself to have something to eat and/or drink because with all that still awaits you (including the dreaded “assembly”) – who knows when you’ll get a chance to stop and eat? Big mistake – you should have just “powered through”. After negotiating the labyrinth, having an intense cross-cultural experience, and filling your stomach, you’re ready for a nap – certainly not for what still awaits you.
I love to work with my hands and have a strong “mechanical” aptitude and an innate ability to follow detailed instructions. As such, the phrase “some assembly required” doesn’t strike terror into my heart as it does with so many others. IKEA takes it to a completely different level – eliminating the “some” and leaving the stark – “assembly required”.
As soon as you open the box, it’s back to the “one world” theme. The information sheet is a fan-like foldout written in 15 languages. In keeping with the theme, the assembly instructions are iconographic (all pictures, no words). They begin by showing what tools are needed and then encouraging you to have someone help you with the assembly – because after all, no one wants to be unhappy (see below)!
Because I usually have no one around who can “really” help me with the assembly (some of you know exactly what I mean), I typically start by reviewing the instructions and then devising some sort of “rig” that will allow me to complete the process alone. This was the case last week when we purchased a bed for my daughter Rachel and a separate “mattress support system” (in lieu of a box spring mattress) that came in over 100 pieces and when fully assembled, was the length and width of a twin bed. As in the television commercial, I can truly say that completing the assembly with no spare parts left over and seeing my daughter climb into her new bed, surrounded by her new bedding – was priceless.
