Why 2014 will smile on the US
Heavy traffic exits the George Washington Bridge onto the Henry Hudson Parkway as morning commuters drive into Manhattan November 1, 2012 in New York as the city recovers from the effects of Hurricane Sandy. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA
What you need to know:
- My grandfather’s family immigrated from Ireland in the 1850s during the great potato famines that swept that country. They arrived poor and hungry.
- My grandfather made a bold decision— he decided to leave the safe family enclave and seek a college education and, later, a law degree.
- In World War II, Hitler dismissed America’s capabilities. He said the country had no future because it was a mongrel nation that was run by capitalists who had strong ties to Jews.
When I looked around the family table at Christmas, I saw the quintessential American story.
Our faces reflect past immigration patterns over the last 150 years: Irish, Swedish, Syrian, Lebanese, Korean, Chinese, French, English and Mexican.
It is a story of people looking for hope and finding it in varying degrees.
My grandfather’s family immigrated from Ireland in the 1850s during the great potato famines that swept that country. They arrived poor and hungry.
After much hardship, the family found work building railroad tracks. They eventually saved enough money to build a home on the edge of small town.
The family grew large and the children saw the railroad business as their future.
But my grandfather made a bold decision— he decided to leave the safe family enclave and seek a college education and, later, a law degree.
Upon arriving at college, he had no money. So he took a job in a paint factory at night to support his studies.
He sublet a room from newly arrived French immigrants. Their daughter later became my grandmother.
My wife’s family decided to leave the Middle East after experiencing religious persecution in the early 1900s.
Her grandfather decided that the violence against Christians made it too dangerous to raise a family.
So they came, one by one, and worked in the garment factories in New York. Living frugally, they raised enough money to begin their own apparel business. The business did well and provided a living for the family.
In the beginning, my wife’s family experienced social isolation because they were not from Europe. My own family faced the same situation because they were Catholics and the majority was Protestant.
But that has changed now. My brothers and sister, who never experienced any real prejudice, have married into the diversity of America. So have our children.
Hence, our Christmas gatherings now look like a meeting at the United Nations.
In World War II, Hitler dismissed America’s capabilities. He said the country had no future because it was a mongrel nation that was run by capitalists who had strong ties to Jews.
Hitler’s mistaken viewpoint contributed to his defeat.
As offensive as Hitler’s beliefs were, I still hear those kinds of comments about America when I travel abroad.
In reality, America was and is run by people like those in my family. President Barack Obama is an example of the kind of opportunities that can await those who work and study hard.
Recently, I went to a physician’s appointment with my mother and was pleased to meet her doctor, a recent immigrant from India.
The doctor was kind, engaging with the family and aware of all of the latest treatments.
My mom has a shot at life because of this woman.
My hope is that the coming year is better than the last. Our future rests with those who have dared to start new lives here.
That is why America remains an important beacon of possibilities in the new year— not just to one people, but for everyone.
