I have no real reason for being interested in global issues.  I grew up in a small (and I mean small) town just north of Boston. My family was not world travelers. But, somehow I got a big dose of wanderlust and have been traveling for a long time. I learned Spanish in high school and after a few days in a Spanish-speaking country I manage to not totally offend the locals. There was that one time I asked a cop where I could find drugs (drogas) instead of drinks (tragos)...

I wonder a lot though why people care about global issues?  A lot of times, there are no direct connections. I'm concerned about monks being killed in Burma, but I've never been there, I have no Burmese friends or coworkers, I'm not Buddist, but yet I care.