Through the Eyes of an Immigrant

I was reminded this afternoon why being an American isn't so bad during my TM meeting. In a room of about 20 people, I was only one of maybe 5 who were native U.S. citizens. The other 15 had all grown up in far off places. During the speeches of two such individuals, I was reminded to simply appreciate life. Be my experiences good or bad, ugly or beautiful, large or small, I should be grateful to have experienced them all.

One guy told the story of his father coming to America two years ahead of his wife and kids from Israel. When his wife and children arrived, the father picked them up from JFK in a limo. The young man telling the story informed us that he was born in Russia and his father moved them to Israel for a better life. His father then decided to up the ante and move them to America. In neither Russia nor Israel did he ever imagine riding in a limo. For Americans not a part of the wealthy or celebrity set, we don't ride in limos everyday. However, we do ride in them. We have either been in a limo for prom, a wedding, a funeral, or maybe even just a luxe night out with your crew. Even though we don't ride in these vehicles often, they still aren't life altering or perspective changing. They are simply fancy means of transportation that we know we can get should the occasion arise.

For this guy, his first limo ride was the start of him believing in the American creed: if you work hard, you can have success and attain things you never had before. He then asked us all to be grateful that we live in this country because for all of its faults, is there really a better place on the planet to be? Could you still have the same opportunities? He also encouraged us all to take risks. My fortune cookie yesterday advised me to take calculated risks, but not be wildly impetuous.

I'm not a fan of unregulated immigration (trust that I'll be writing about that soon, very soon), but if more citizens began to look at this country for the abundant possibilities it holds and began to take calculated risks to attain their goals, what would we as a nation look like? I say everyone go stimulate the economy and rent yourself a limo this weekend. I won't, but invite me when you do!