Sustainable Health and Well-Being
  • About SHWB
  • Bio
  • Resources
  • Contact

The morning-after thoughts

6/25/2011

0 Comments

 
Been feeling a little unsettled today after yesterday's posting - not sure why. Maybe because I had such a strong reaction to Jose Antonio Vargas' story, the human side of it, and for me maybe, the humanistic side of it, without really having a lot of knowledge about some of the things I was talking about - factual knowledge. Has that ever happened to you? I mean, how much do I really know?

What I know - or think I know...
  • First, I need to learn more about immigration and immigration policy.
  • Immigration - documented or undocumented - is a complicated subject.
  • Our nation was built on the backs and with the minds and hearts of immigrants. We often forget that white Europeans who settled the US were originally immigrants.
  • Sometimes it feels like the brouhaha about immigration now is related at least in part to the reality that many of the people who want to enter our country and become citizens have dark skin.
  • It also feels like the tension is related to fear about the future, about the economy, about what might be ahead. We often react with fear when faced with the unknown.
  • Immigrants, of both types, contribute to our economy - as workers, consumers, and often taxpayers.
  • Whether or not we want to acknowledge it, our economy depends upon the labor of immigrants, of both types.
  • Immigrants of both types also use public services.
  • We have policies that are supposed to support and oversee legal immigration.
  • These policies are far from perfect, and are cumbersome, costly, and confusing.
  • There are passionate arguments on both sides, some carefully researched, some rising from strong feelings ... browse through these three web-sites:
  •         Drum Major Institute for Public Policy - Contributions of Immigrants
  •         US Illegal Aliens - The Dark Side
  •         Pappy's Ponderings - Illegal Immigration
If you have been reading my blog, you might know that I have biases - arising from a combination of my values, ethics, experiences, profession, politics, faith, and education. I have a world-view that some, but certainly not all, share. The lens through which I view the world is that it is a world of abundance, not scarcity. There is more than enough for all, though that might mean that for all to have enough, things might have to level out a bit. I know that others may have had experiences, terrible experiences, that have led them to view life through the lens of scarcity. Yet I have known people who have had terrible experiences, lives of devastating unfairness and fathomless losses, who are still able to view the world as abundant, who are still able to hold out hope and to act with generosity. What allows this to happen? I don't know. Most of the time, I believe that we have a choice about our lens, but I don't really know.

When I think about Jose Antonio Vargas and others like him, I see adults, but I also see the children within the adults - who they used to be - the kids whose parents wanted them to have lives better than theirs. I have children - I get this.

When I read Pappy's Ponderings and the site US Illegal Aliens, tears come to my eyes - I sense so much anger and fear in those words. It makes me sad. I believe that listening to, understanding, getting along with people who are different from us is important. We need to do this for the good of all of us who share this home called earth. 

It is complicated, and I want to learn more.
Picture
Faith Hope and Charity by Diana Bryer
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Mary Beth Mannarino is a licensed psychologist who provides coaching in the areas of leadership, career, life, and parenting. She is also an environmental and climate educator and activist. Dr. Mannarino is professor emeritus at Chatham University where she continues to teach courses to students in health professions related to environment and well-being.

    Picture

    Follow MBMannarino on Twitter
    My Bloggy Rules...
    I write about my own experiences, opinions, dreams, and ideas. I invite you to share your ideas, and to be part of a dialogue. I will make mistakes! But it is great to take the risk to put this out there and, more importantly, to hear from you.

    Archives

    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    August 2013
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

    Categories

    All
    Air
    Art
    Biking
    Children
    Climate Change
    Coal
    Community
    Culture
    Economics
    Energy
    Environment
    Faith
    Families
    Family
    Food
    Forgiveness
    Immigration
    Jobs
    Leadership
    Love
    Mountains
    Mountain Top Removal
    Nature
    Occupy Movement
    Peace
    Politics
    Pollution
    Religion And Spirituality
    Social Action
    Social Justice
    Sustainability
    Transportation
    Water
    Well Being
    Well-being
    Work

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.