“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore…” –Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus
Yes, it’s touristy. Yes, it’s crowded. Yes, it’s a long wait. But for those who arrive from the Atlantic the Statue of Liberty is one of their first glimpses of America and it stays with them for the rest of their lives. One of our greatest challenges is also one of our greatest strengths. We welcome this melting pot of languages, cultures, and people. It comes with all the frustrations and problems that you’d expect with such a diverse population, but the United States would not be what it is without it. Individual ills are a small price to pay for the infusion of energy that comes each generation with new immigrants seeking a better life. It’s that hunger, that ambition, that pursuit of happiness that keeps us moving, changing, and evolving.
That’s what brought us the incandescent light bulb, the telephone, the Internet, and toilet paper. Yes, toilet paper.
This diversity is also why I can enjoy bachata music, while eating pierogies and watching a subtitled Thai action flick with my buddy from Sudan.
Thank you, Lady Liberty.
Fri, Aug 28, 2009
New York