America - Who Are We?
The measure of a country's greatness is its ability
to retain compassion in time of crisis.
Thurgood Marshall
Recently, I watched a video of Neil Diamond singing his powerful song, “America,” remembering the uplift it used to give me. This time was different. I was overwhelmed by sadness. It bubbled up from deep inside me.
When the song was released in 1980, it expressed how we saw America then. We celebrated people coming to America.
Coming to America
Far, we've been traveling far
Without a home but not without a star
Free, only want to be free
We huddle close, hang on to a dream
Home, don't it seem so far away -
We're traveling light today
In the eye of the storm
Home, to a new and a shiny place
We'll make our bed, we'll say our grace
Freedom's light burning warm
Everywhere around the world
They're coming to America
We were proud to be a country that welcomed others looking for a better life. At that time, most of us were closer to the generations that had come to America. As children of immigrants, we heard their stories. We knew how hard they worked to create a new life with the talents and determination they brought with them. We knew what a contribution they made as they became players in the economy and culture of their new home.
Today, many of us have no conscious connection to our immigrant past, so it is easier to see others wanting to come to America as not worthy, as having nothing to offer and only wanting a hand-out. But that is a fiction.
Historically, immigrants do not drain the economy. They add to it. Those who come here bring with them a wealth of talent and skills and the energy that motivates people to give whatever is required to create a better life for themselves and their families. In the process, they enrich their communities and make a positive contribution to the fabric of our country.
My father arrived at Ellis Island in 1925 at the age of 9. His parents both worked hard, and they raised him and his younger brother in Paterson, New Jersey. The public high school was designed to prepare students for the current economy, and after graduation, my dad began a manufacturing career that led him to a responsible position in the aeronautics industry before and during World War II, as a quality control specialist.
In 1956, after three years of full-time college while also working full time, he became a chiropractor, long before the public understood the benefits of chiropractic as an important part of our health care system. He and my mother both worked hard during my growing-up years. They also supported my brothers and me as leaders in Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts throughout our school years. Contributing to the community was an important part of their life.
I believe my dad was a typical immigrant. He appreciated the opportunities that life offered him. He worked hard, and he spent his life giving back.
The difference between then and now is that the country welcomed him, and it provided the stepping-stones that enabled him to succeed.
Today is different. Many people see immigrants as a threat to the country. That is a fiction, designed to create fear for political purposes.
We are all being called on to think for ourselves, to look at history and to realize that we have much to gain from the people wanting to come into our country. Escaping from places that have deteriorated into violence and oppression, they want to become contributing citizens in a safe and welcoming new home.
What do we want?
I want us to be a country that welcomes my father and Larry’s grandfather, so they can work hard and raise a new generation of responsible citizens.
I want us to be a kind country, motivated by concern for others, realizing that we would all benefit from what they have to contribute.
Every major religion teaches us to care for the less fortunate, and we all grew up with the Golden Rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Is that just a nice but naïve idea, or do we take it seriously?
That is up to each of us. We each get to decide how far we are willing to take it.
But we need to remember that our choices have consequences.
Who are we as a country? We all contribute to the answer to that question.
What do you choose to contribute?
For an uplifting reminder of what is possible, I invite you to watch:
What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment below.
Help us spread the message of kindness.
If you know others who might appreciate these ideas, please share below.
We’re grateful that you are on this journey with us.
With love from our hearts to yours,
Pat and Larry
