Or does it depend on who is dreaming those dreams?
 |
| Photo from www.guardian.co.uk |
Unfortunately, some people's dreams have come true at the expense of the dreams of others. While we pride ourselves on being a country in which anyone can survive and thrive if they work hard enough, we often forget that those who thrived did so because of the hard labor and sacrifice of others. Despite our "rugged individualism," even those early tycoons weren't alone. They had help. We gloss over the way they exploited it and provided unsafe working conditions because, heck, they did it!
People who came to this strange melting pot we call America built things from the ground up. Even though there were rivalries and fights and there was even significant mistrust between different immigrant communities, in the end, people worked together to build this land of opportunity from which many of us benefit today.
In the early 1900s, the "melting pot" days, there was a unique sense
of community, even if it was in little pockets created by country of
origin where everyone ate similar food, and spoke the same language.
Even in a new, unfamiliar and probably daunting place, you still weren't
alone. You helped each other. It's the only way many people survived.
 |
| Photo from ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com |
My question is this: if they did it, facing so many more obstacles than we do today, why can't we?
But today, assistance seems to be a bad word. It connotes failure, as in if you need help you have failed. Is that how newly minted Americans in the early 1900s would have treated each other? I don't think so.
 |
| Photo from immigrants1900.weebly.com |
Back then, we were a beacon of hope to so many, and now we just want to slam that door shut. Enough people have come in to take away our piece of the pie, right? But what we should be asking ourselves is this - why was it ours to begin with?
Because someone else came here to get it for us. Don't we owe it to them to give some back?
What we are sometimes collectively missing is sense of caring and community. I started writing this post back around last year's election when anti-immigration rhetoric once again reared its ugly head. Then I wrote a little more in December 2012 when the tragic Sandy Hook shootings occurred. I was amazed that so many people tried to help that it was almost too much. That unity, the common sense of sorrow we all felt - it inspired me.
And then I wondered: why does it take a tragedy for us to want to help each other? Why don't we want to help when we look around our own community and see the homeless, the struggling, the hungry? When did we as Americans start caring so much about our own lives and successes that we stopped caring for others?
Yes, I may be overgeneralizing a bit. But there IS a lot of truth to the idea that, while working hard for ourselves and our families is important, taking care of each other is important too. And we do tend to lose sight of that, especially when it comes to thinking about the role of government in people's lives. All too often we hear politicians, people in the media, maybe even our own friends and neighbors, criticizing those who receive certain government benefits (and/or those who want to provide them).
My question is this: If our American government is supposed to be of the people, by the people, for the people, then why is it wrong to care about finding ways to make sure everyone in this country has healthcare, or shelter, or food, or anything? We are all Americans. Don't we all deserve opportunity? If we aren't for each other, then what is the point?
 |
| Photo from www.thenation.com |
All I know is that our predecessors here started something remarkable. And it's our job to be good stewards of that by helping each other, by caring about more than just the size of our own bank accounts and how much we pay in taxes. It's not just about what we get out of it - it's about what we give. There's a greater good out there. Let's find it.
No comments:
Post a Comment