The other day I was talking to a friend from Ecuador who has plans to move to the Washington D.C. area with his wife when the visa comes through. Talking to him brought back memories from our few experiences together when we were serving as missionaries in Chile. I love meeting people from different parts of the world because it confirms to me that we are all part of the same family. Just like we all have different likes and dislikes, every country has a unique culture and people, but when it comes down to it our similarities are far greater than the differences.
Diversity fills the world with life and beauty. I’ve had a chance to work with student groups from countries all over the world in the BYUSA Clubs office and I love attending their cultural events. It is a neat experience to listen in as they plan these activities with such diligence and care trying to bring the spirit of their home country right here to BYU. Even among the students from the United States there is such a great diversity in our interests, passions, hobbies and goals. Today I stopped to talk to the Chess Club President when I noticed him and three other people playing an intense game of what I came to learn was called team chess. I then continued to my office walking by a room filled with students Salsa dancing. I can’t imagine a world without individuality and diversity. Each country, family, and individual has a unique culture, passion, and tradition. These allow us to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle to form a colorful quilt tightly woven into one human family. I love my country, my family, and I love the person I am becoming; but, I have also come to love, respect, the unique traditions of everyone I meet. As I have interacted with people from all walks of life I have gained an appreciation for the common thread we all share. I have seen that when we take interest in the passions of those we meet they in turn are interested in learning more about us.
This week a national rally of immigrants will march on Washington D.C. in hopes of regaining the attention of Congress to fix America’s broken immigration system. My hope is that partisanship, misconceptions, judgment, racism, selfishness, and pride do not keep this special nation from recognizing the sacrifices of immigrants that come to our country and work hard to provide for their families the basic things we far too often take for granted. I hope we do not forget our immigrant roots and the heritage of this country as a land of opportunity for everyone willing to put in an honest day’s work. We are all brothers and sisters, we shouldn’t be afraid of individuals because they have a unique culture, or even a different language. I hope that we seize this opportunity to embrace the unique contributions made to our society by our immigrant friends. If we all work together there is incredible potential for all of us to prosper together as each of us gives his or her all to make America a land of promise, hope and opportunity
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