IMMIGRATION
March 26, 2007
Words fail me. I hate to admit it, but it's true. I might be a writer (if only a self-styled one), a person who essentially plays with words, but I honestly cannot think of the proper words to describe how weary I grow of the immigration fiasco.
The solution to it is at once simple and yet profound. I will have to go over some material that I have already carped on, but it's one of those things that is important to me so I'll very likely harangue on the subject again.
The whole issue is ultimately rooted in a completely outdated idea, that of nation-states. Like monarchies (or old soldiers), they need to make ready for their total departure from the stage of human affairs.
If someone were to ask me which is more important, to be a human being, or to be a citizen (of any country), I would have to reply that it's a no-brainer. Humanity is common to all citizens of all countries, no matter their geographical locale or political preferences.
Basically, we in America need to get over ourselves. Yeah, I know, we have a great country, but so what? People are more important than a country. People are real, countries are contrived.
Everyone has a right to be here (on the planet), no matter where they were born. We act sometimes like we own the planet, like our way of thinking is the best way of thinking, like democracy is the only decent form of government. I repeat: we need to get over ourselves.
We also need to get over the very idea of "America." You have to admit, when examined closely, it is not exactly the country the founding fathers had in mind anyway. Yes, we need to get over America and on to people, people everywhere.
Of course I mean this about every country. Mexicans need to get over Mexico, the French need to get over France, the Russians Russia and so on.
Forget nationalities and focus on people.
Item:
If there had not been a country called "the USA," the event called 911 would have never happened.
Item:
If countries everywhere would dissolve their borders, the immigration issue would disappear.
For the sake of order, we could of course preserve a sort of national identity. Otherwise, chaos could ensue. People might start wandering around everywhere (completely devoid of identity) if there were no cells of organizations we call nations.
Anyone anywhere should be required to present their proof of identity if and/or when they were ever involved in any situation, from a traffic indident to the matter of cashing a check, that might call for it. And of course these proofs of identity would be issued by their nations of origin.
But the need (and wisdom) of preserving a national identity does not mean that rigid borders need to be enforced. The borders should all, each and every one of them, completely dissolve. When you think about it, there is really only one reason for borders anyway: resources.
If it were universally recognized that resources belonged to no one, and that everyone needs to use them - and on a fairly equal basis, the border problem would vanish.
If the resources were being properly shared (on the basis of common humanity as opposed to national interests), international issues would become nonexistent - and "immigration" a forgotten word.