Remains of Berlin wall, Germany

My family, in both parental lines of ancestry, have been in the United States for generations. Some of them for centuries. Yet, the current immigration tensions hit home with me. My family descends entirely immigrants to this land (unless I have some Native American blood in my ancestral lines of which I am not aware of any). In other words, I am a typical American.

Americans live in a nation long described as a “Melting Pot”. Various streams of immigration have continuously filtered into this land we now call the United States of America since the land was discovered by European explorers not that long ago in the historical scheme of the world. The Vikings, Portuguese, Spanish, French and English were the first streams of immigrants. At various times Irish, Chinese, Italian, German, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese, Mexican and many other people groups have added to that stream.

I am neither a blind patriot nor a self-loathing radical when it comes to this nation’s history. Neither is this a time for naked idealism. Our past indiscretions in the way we treated Native Americans shouldn’t be brushed under the rug, but the great Democratic experiment that has been called a shining city on a hill to the world should not be discounted either.

The truth is nuanced. The truth is messy. Idealism isn’t necessarily a lie, but it requires an emphasize on the truth that serves the ideal, and it ignores the truth that doesn’t. We should not be blind to any portion of the truth. As a wise man once said, “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” (Or something like that)

The aspects of the American experiment that shine a light in the world include the bedrock value of individual freedoms and a welcoming attitude toward the streams of foreigners who have come here to make a better life. This has been a land of opportunity, if not always perfectly available to all, that is still exemplary in the world despite its warts…. until recently.

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