A Hazy Discussion.

Sometimes, sharing with others a burning issue will bring the best out of us… at other times, not so.

Note: Neither a cold cup of coffee nor the smell of stale cigarette smoke evoke great desire. I wonder if a cold paragraph is the same? This following par. has been waiting for the “rest of the story” for about two weeks. Every time I sit and try to complete whatever may come to mind, something else comes to the fore and takes me away… one more try and we shall see what gives…

 

The title of this particular little piece was brought on as a result of an eye exam, dilated pupils and all. It had been some 3 years since my last such exam and my “head” doctor (no, not one of those… maybe I’ll soon need one, but not yet) decided that it was time to add this little process to all other exams I had undergone in the last 3 months. Luckily, all said and done, it seems my eyes are in good order except that part which allows me to read up close and to work at the computer without the need of assistance. So in 6 weeks or so I’ll be receiving, courtesy of the VA Clinic, a pair of bifocals… yes, I said bifocals. Upper half for the computer, lower half to closely follow the published Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Elementary, my dear Watson or … some such…

At the language school where I work, we have a conversation class at night which is quickly becoming an interesting class, since the gist of the same is a combination of conversation and debate. Each student (there are 6) is responsible to present a topic of discussion on Mondays and then we go down the list and put each one on the table, throughout the week. Whenever we discuss a topic, the person responsible has to take the lead and present the idea as well as his/her point of view. Then, each student will ask questions and often, present an antagonist point of view. Of course, when these become difficult to come by, then I put one or two in… you know, sort of the Devil’s Advocate position.

Well, to get things started, I simply wrote on the board the word “Immigration”. Followed by

“What do you think will happen?”

“What would you like to happen?” and

“What is the process to have a project become law?”

Knowing that the people in these classes are immigrants one and all (and not all fully documented) and, yes, the teacher too, you might think the discussion to be totally one sided. That was not the case; actually there were intelligent arguments presented on both sides of the fence and there were insights as to how little the average person actually knows about the processes at government level.

The outcome of this particular discussion was a better understanding about the system in our country and also of the meaning of the phrase “due process of law” as applied to the making of the very rules and regulations which made and make this process real and plausible.

Despite all the current problems and issues that plague our country, it was a unanimous vote to express the fact that they were all happy to be here and to have an opportunity to try and make a better life for themselves and their children’s children. Interestingly, from this discussion came other topics such as: “cultural differences in raising children” and “Free market vs. socialist market”. Not bad for a bunch who barely spoke English 6-10 months ago.

It may be trite to talk about a “great” country and what it means to these families to be here; it is difficult to explain to those who do not –or do not want to- understand other cultures that it is OK to meld and to explore how we can complement each other. It is difficult to understand laws that seem to promote the breakdown of families and yet, are meant to safeguard the very environment these families hope to reach, at often great risk to themselves and families.

In the end, we are a country of immigrants; those who came first running from unjust laws in their country(ies) as well as poverty, hunger  and despair (sounds familiar?) have only a time based early claim to the land. It makes their descendants no more or less Americans than the descendants of those immigrants who came later and who still continue to come.

It is beautiful to look about and see so many colors, so many faces, so many different expressions; to hear a variety of accents and to know that we share a common cause: we are all here because we choose to be, not because a twist of fate.

Be Well … Be Back!!!

Final Notes:

• Pray for those who are fighting an illness which may take them away from their loved ones… Every request is heard, and counts!!
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