Everyone is from somewhere else.
One of the lovely things about growing old is that the next generation teaches you things and not just about technology and phones. Frequently they come out with really wise things and I was privileged to learn again from my son-in-law.
We had been visiting the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and he astutely remarked that ‘In New York, everyone is from somewhere else.’ For him, that is part of what makes New York a vibrant, bubbly, dynamic place to live. Wave after wave of different people from different places and different cultures are continuously reforming and reshaping this mind-popping city. You just never know who you’re going to meet next and from context, they have emerged.
At Ellis Island, we heard stories from all sorts of people who had come to the land of the brave and the free. Some came seeking a better way of life. Some came just to survive because their ‘home’ was been torn apart and their lives were at risk.
I am reliably informed that 98% of the folk that fronted up to Ellis Island were allowed to stay. Ever since people have been coming for a new life and fresh opportunities. They bring with them ideas, interests, food and spirituality. When diverse cultures are properly and healthily assimilated, we all learn and are enriched.
Everyone is from somewhere else.
Two questions to draw out this profound quip.
First, I wonder whether we as a nation, a community and as individuals are as welcoming. Ellis Island certainly had its criteria for entry, but the question was not ‘Why should we let this person in?’ but rather ‘Why shouldn’t they come and be a part of us?’
The other question … If everyone is from somewhere else… then where are you from?