The idea of peoples of various cultures coming to the US and melting into some form of shapeless goo, leaving their past selves and their experiences that shape them behind, needs to go. Admit it, American goo does not sound delicious at all. On the other hand, American gumbo, there's something to savor. Each ingredient is unique and with its own shape and flavor. Each brings with it something that is an individual strength. While there is a base of sauce to connect them together, individual textures and great flavors remain whole. The true magic happens when they come together to build something that is even more complex and delicious than what they were alone.
Each and every culture has its strengths and beauty. What unimaginable strength and prosperity could come from bringing them all together and using the best of each of us to build something unique that the world has never before seen. Let the United States be a society that takes the experiences of each culture added to it from around the world and incorporates the best and most beautiful of each into our own unique identity.
The United States can be the proof to the world that the peoples of every region, every island, every culture of the Earth can come together and build something bigger than their individual selves, yet not lose themselves and their experiences in that building process. We can truly be the shining city on a hill. Let that light reach every village and city of the world and have them see themselves reflected in the leaders, culture, and ideals of a land of rights and prosperity. It is much harder to hate and fear something when you can see within it the familiarity of yourself and those close to you. Seeing ones own humanity reflected in the "Other" is one of the greatest foes of hate and war. Let us show the world by example that peoples of this world can come together and build a society of respect, rights, and reason.
Our base needs to be an ideal of constitutional government providing the rule of law, equality under that law, inalienable human rights, and an elected representative government that truly reflects the brilliantly diverse experiences and backgrounds of the people of the United States. The project to bind us together is the rich sauce of We the People building A More Perfect Union. But let us not discount or lose the unimaginable strengths that can come from having in one place the amazing array of backgrounds, experience, and knowledge starting with the original peoples of this land to the newest child arriving to these shores today. Let us not melt into some goo of conformity stripping away experience and uniqueness. Let us come together with all of our individual textures and flavors intact but combine together into something even greater. This is the opportunity of the United States of tomorrow.
E pluribus gumbo
Kyle Thompson - October 16, 2023 - Global Rights & Reason Alliance - https://www.globalrra.com/opinions
Comments