I just saw an article about a new immigration law in Alabama that would go into affect the first of September.
This law would result in "criminal penalties and incarceration for innocent daily activities, such as giving a ride to a neighbor, hiring a
day laborer, or renting a room to a friend."
(1)
and the law would also "deter children in immigrant families from enrolling in public schools"
(1)
Hmm.. Well, first of all I thank God that I was born in the United States of America and I wouldn't have it
any other way.
BUT, that doesn't mean I am on either side of the situation. You see, I don't know if individuals who are not bi-cultural understand, or even come close to realizing the internal, let's call it, conversation that is continually occurring within us.
Here is some food for thought- I'm in the United States and It seems I'm not quite the definition of American (whatever distorted definition people may have now in days); I go to Mexico, and I'm not quite Mexican either- You see the problem?
Yet, when
real, and oh so
real situations like these arise, a heavy weight fully engulfs my heart. I understand they are braking the law, I understand keeping their kids out of school would be a way to force them to go back, I understand, I understand. That doesn't meant that my mind doesn't process the fact that if a law like this would have come to pass a couple of years ago in California, I wouldn't have met some of the wonderful people I have met at school. That doesn't mean I don't think of friends and family's who are constantly in fear of getting deported. It doesn't mean they aren't braking a law.It doesn't mean I'm not human and don't have sympathy either, and it most certaintly doesn't stop these "illegal immigrants" (makes me cringe just writing these words) from being human; just like me.
I also came across some guy's blog talking about a show who set up a fake discriminatory situation before the SB1070 law came into place in Arizona, trying to prove a point of what a world with that law would be like. The author of this blog then began saying how the show set up an out of proportion situation, making the law seem exaggerated. If you want to read the post it's the second link at the bottom of this post, but as he continued defending the law he said this, "the law specifically prohibits racial profiling. Race, color and national origin are factors that cannot be used in gauging an individual’s legal status."
(2) This immediately makes me think, "Wait a minute, so your telling me that you think a law can seriously put a break on a person's stereotypical ideas and mind?" HA!
All of this brings me down to this; although I would like to think life is only what is around me, it is not. Reality is unavoidable and as growing individuals we are going to face a myriad of circumstances that aren't quite black, or white. Situations that grip our heart while our mind is telling us something different. Is there any right way to fully deal with this particular vexation? No. Is there a wrong way to deal with this internal "battle" ? No.
(Yes, blogging about it...lol. jk)
Yet, it continues to be on my miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind.
Ah, ignorance, where has your bliss gone eh?
Okay Okay, that was me venting but it was much needed since I don't journal much these days. I know I can't ask for much out of this world, since I finally came to the realization I can't change the world. But what I can do is try to make somebody's life, anybody's life a bit easier, a bit smoother.; and although I don't have much hope for this world (we know the bible says this world is doomed!), I do have hope in individual people.
That my dearest friends, is what makes me a people person. ;)
(P.S. One of the greatest feelings in the world is having somebody tell you "people like you make the world go around smoother")
1. http://news.yahoo.com/lawsuit-filed-against-tough-alabama-immigration-law-163133083.html
2.http://www.statebrief.com/briefblog/2011/02/03/abcs-what-would-you-do-takes-absurd-view-of-sb-1070/
By the way, I feel better!