In these uncertain times that we live in, I have often wondered if I could change something in my world what would it be? And, I am always brought back to to the same thing. I wish that I could rid my world of hate and all of its byproducts, bigotry, racism, terrorism, crime, division, etc. I am often floored by the fact that a country that was built on the premise of being a Melting Pot, despises those people who make it so.
The quote on the Statue of Liberty reads:
“Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Quote by Emma Lazarus
These words grace the Statue that stands on Liberty Island in the New York Harbor. They were meant to be welcoming to the masses. This country was founded on the backs of immigrants and slaves. People that came from all walks of life. Our differences were supposed to be what made us better as a nation, what set us apart. Most people who willingly migrated to this country did so with the hopes of finding religious freedom, a better opportunity, pursuing a new dream. With all of these noble intentions, I wonder how we got so far away from what was originally intended.
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I cry for my children who even though they are growing up in the 21st century still live in a world crippled by enmity. I cry for their futures, because even though we have come a long way. We really haven’t come as far as you would think.
This blog has been sitting in my pending queue for some time now. But, I know that no matter how hard I try to write words that are politically correct, I will most likely still offend someone here. But, being quiet has never really been my way, for that matter, neither has being PC. That being said I just hope that someone, somewhere, will read my words and have pause.
For me, my wishes and my dreams still mirror to this day, that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I hope that “…my children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” And, not by their assumed character but by the mental and moral qualities distinctive to them.