The Fire Down Below
What’s made America great? What’s made America different? Along with whatever else we do on July 4th and afterwards, let’s celebrate this:
We all came from somewhere else.
It’s something we sometimes take for granted. We shouldn’t.
Of the 40 nations I’ve been fortunate enough to visit for work and the many additional ones for play, I’ve never encountered one nearly as diverse as our own.
I never thanked them, but I’m blessed that my peasant grandparents took a leap of faith toward the promise of America, venturing across Europe and the Atlantic to flee persecution. They were but a few of the many millions, from all over the world, represented in the iconic Bruce Springsteen song, “American Land”:
They come across the water a thousand miles from home
With nothing in their bellies but the fire down below
Indeed, and without disparaging any other nation, there’s something special to be said for one springing from souls who largely risked and suffered so much to get here, forming a melting pot of peoples and perspectives.
From Debate to Demagoguery
Sadly, as America turns 250, current immigrants and even our immigrant heritage are under attack.
[Continue Reading]