During a recent visit, a close friend told a story that resonated with me more than anything I had heard in quite some time. At a time when we see far too often the worst of what we're capable, he reminded me that we remain an exceptional country and it's not by chance. His story began with two brothers sitting somewhere in Ireland during a famine 150 years ago. Times were horrible and they were both struggling mightily. They had a conversation about the possibility of taking the perilous, unknown journey to America to begin a new life that must certainly be better than their current situation. One brother makes the decision that the risk isn't worth it and decides to remain in Ireland. The other decides to risk everything to travel across an ocean to a place where he doesn't know a soul and has no idea of what he'll find with only the hope that it's everything he's been told and the moxy to make it happen. He packs the few belongings he has and carries with him his exceptional traits of bravery, independence and adventure and sets out.
This migration of the most daring, resourceful people on the entire planet to our shores began nearly 600 years ago. First with explorers who didn't even know if they'd fall off the edge of the earth before reaching some unknown destination. Despite that they were still willing to take the risk. Tales of the new land spread throughout the globe and these conversations among brothers, sisters, and friends continue with only the most adventurous, independent souls making the decision to risk so much to better their lives. The rest remain put.
The result is a collection of the strongest people on the planet all coming together over time on one piece of land with the common drive to do better and the guts to try. We're all the descendants of these people. Whether your ancestors came to escape religious persecution, ethnic cleansing, intolerance, or the simple ability to feed their family, you're cut from this exceptionally strong cloth. It's why we're so inventive, hard working and brazen, for the good and bad of it.
Sometimes, mostly as we move generations away from those strongest of our ancestors who took the most risk, we lose sight of how great our nation really is and what it took to put it all together. We begin to take it for granted because we didn't have to take such risk, we simply have had the pleasure of enjoying the breadth of freedom and opportunity those before us made possible. We forget what it still means to so many across the globe who struggle just to live a healthy, peaceful life. America remains this seemingly unachievable destination to many who simply want more and decide to risk it all to provide a better life for themselves and their families. Today the conversation may be between brothers in India or Pakistan or maybe sisters in Mexico or friends in Honduras but it's the same conversation being had for the same reasons all of our ancestors left everything behind at enormous risk. These modern immigrants possess the same moxy our ancestors did and are actively adding to the exceptional fabric of those who now make up America and will for generations to come.
This republic that was formed with our independence was done so specifically so those who did take the risk to come here could do so knowing their right to pursue more would be protected. That's the very purpose of our Constitution. Those that formed the structure of our government did so almost exclusively to protect the rights of those coming here to flee less security elsewhere. Why else would anyone take that risk of leaving everything they have and all those they know to set up a new life in a foreign land. No one would make that investment without being assured the results of their labor and risk would be protected. Our founding fathers wanted to attract the best, brightest and bravest to our nation and knew these protections would attract exactly those type of people. It was genius and the only republic of it's kind.
This incredibly diverse collection of histories, customs and cultural differences also makes it really tough sometimes to find common ground. Add in lingering animosity over horrible actions that are also part of our history and continuing divides in many of our communities and it's plain to see we are not perfect. Great progress has and will continue to be made but it takes us all working to make that progress. We are all responsible to ensure we help our fellow Americans overcome the real struggles that exist so they too can make the most of what's being built here.
Occasionally an event will occur that solidifies our resolve and causes us to unite once again. Most often it's a physical attack on our country that brings out that fight within us and reminds us that we're all a product of those who came here before us. The ones who had to risk it all and actually survived and thrived. So today let's all raise a toast to those who came before and are still coming here today to make this truly exceptional nation what it is and what it will be.
Happy Independence Day, everyone!! Time to celebrate!!
