Tuesday, August 04, 2015

Immigration and Rethinking the World

The immigration stories in the news are often sad and worrisome.

If you lived in a place that was tough, you would probably do what you could to make a better life for yourself and your loved ones.

Yet, if you're an immigrant who has followed the law and met all the requirements, and then you see others come and settle without those steps, you might resent what seems like an "easy" entry.

People will do what they need to do to live well. That's a fact of life.

So how do we deal with this very big, worldwide issue of immigration.

Here are a few thoughts:
  1. Wherever and whenever possible respectfully contribute to building a peaceful world that respects and promotes freedom and dignity for all people. In truth, most people would not leave their homelands if their homelands offered them the life they dream of. Vote for leaders who will promote initiatives, laws, and efforts that truly contribute to better communities around the globe. 
  2. Find ways to change the structure of society so that there are more jobs for everyone. Where there is now one doing the job, potentially make it two. In many organizations, particularly the service industry, this will create better service and a sense of community. If people, in general, are better served in life, our world will become a better place to live. Perhaps we have to rethink what our living/learning communities are, and what it means to work. I like the growing notion of communitarianism--the work to build vital, dynamic, inclusive communities big and small. 
  3. Treat immigrants with dignity. Make sure that our schools and other public institutions embrace diversity and welcome immigrants with respect. 
  4. Find ways to work with countries where immigrants are coming from to creatively create win-win situations, situations where immigrants who really need to leave, find a place, but where others who would prefer to stay, are able to find work and live a good life in their own land. 
We live in a big, diverse world. It's not beyond our intelligence to create new algorithms for governing and living--algorithms that create patterns and intersections which enable a good life for more. 

Speak up. Offer your thoughts and creativity. Devise programs to help. Vote for individuals who have the intellect, experience, humanity, and vision to make a difference.

We're an interconnected world, and our reliance upon each other continues to grow tighter. We can fight that if we want, but it's clearly a losing battle. What's better is to embrace the challenges an interdependent world presents and move forward with promise and potential for generations to come.