"Believe" by The Bravery
I saw my first American passport this week. For so long, having one was a goal of mine, and yet holding one felt very, very foreign in my hands. Each page had different images of American heritage and stories on it with an accompanying quote. One was “It is immigrants who brought to this land the skills of their hands and brains to make it a beacon of opportunity and hope for all men” said by former New York Democratic mayor and then Senator Herbert H. Lehman. Of course, that was when my friend decided it was the perfect opportunity to point at the word “brought” and joke that quote only applied in the past. Big oof.I’ve had to think of my identity constantly for as long as I can remember, so the discussions about double consciousness felt very natural to me. I used to be so optimistic about the American immigration system, and hold close to my heart the idea that if I was patient and did everything right, the world would come together to support me. Now, I can’t help but think that is was my belief in American acceptance stemmed from my selfish desire to hope that, in DuBois’ terms, I could be part of the center if I played by the center’s rules. Was this some sort of delusion? In order to answer that, I refer back to a foundational document of my life: the egocentric thinking traits. The egocentric thinking traits are supposed to train people to recognize and understand their subconscious biases. I believe I suffered from innate wish fulfillment because it was easier for me to paint my situation in the most positive light possible in order to continue living my life with the mindset that both America and India are my homes and that I would be welcome in both. Well, that certainly does not apply anymore.
I hate binaries. I hate all forces like discrimination, racism, etc. that prevent the natural progression of growth in order to create divisions among people. And I hate how those forces can be blinding to those who partake in it and prevent them from realizing the overarching natural harmony that exists within change and growth. I am a firm believer in the quote that “anything that does not grow is dead,” The “growth” in the quote refers to progress and adaptation to the times. However, static immigration policies results in an unnatural stagnation of society that cannot represent the life and diversity of the American population. I really, really hope that such a limited definition of what it means to be an American becomes unsustainable.
https://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/thinking_tools/ch10.html
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