The other day in a public meeting of government officials I was asked about my view on immigration which, as you may know, has become a hot topic in the USA and in other countries. My initial response was that I favor immigration. Indeed, both of my parents were immigrants, so I wouldn't be an American citizen today if they hadn't risked leaving their "homeland" and gone through the immigration process at Ellis Island. With this thought in mind, I quickly qualified my answer to the question posed by noting that I'm against "illegal" immigration.
Now let me set the stage further by noting that, many years ago, after receiving an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, I became involved in a student activist organization called "Students for a Democratic Society," better known as "SDS." Some of you may have heard of this group, if for no other reason then you saw it portrayed in the 1994 Academy Award-winning movie, Forrest Gump. And although I wasn't part of the extreme radical Weather Underground faction of SDS, I was nevertheless idealistically in support of participatory democracy and social equity, as well as was opposed to the "war" in Vietnam. In short, I guess that you could say that I was part of the "New Left"; back in those days, as a student majoring in Political Science, believe me, it was hard to be anything else!
To be sure, a lot has happened to me (and the world) since my days as an undergraduate student activist. For one, I've aged and have experienced many things that were not even on my personal radar screen back then. And, hopefully, with age, I've picked up some wisdom along the way. I've learned to be less confrontational (i.e., it used to be "my way or the highway") and more collaborative in my dealings with others. I've also allowed, I think, my spirit to unfold more naturally and gently over time and now view my life as a spiritual journey--one in which a spiritual being is having a physical experience rather than the other way around. And as part of this spiritual journey, I've invested a great deal of time and effort helping others who, in my opinion at least, were/are less fortunate than me. You see, I lost many friends in Vietnam; young souls who never had the chance to live life the way I have been able to do. So how, I always ask myself, can I complain about my life, no matter how "bad" it may appear or actually be?! For some reason, I've been blessed with, among other things, the opportunity to live my life in honor of all those young souls whose lives were cut short.
I hope that you now get the picture--I'm a pretty compassionate guy! And when compared to my days as an angry--yes, I was pretty angry back then--student activist, I've changed. In fact, I've changed so much that you could probably say that I've been "reborn," not necessarily in a religious sense (I was raised Greek Orthodox and almost became a priest), but certainly in a spiritual one. In fact, members of my own family don't even recognize me any more. How's that for an extreme makeover?! (Who needs so-called "reality" TV anyway?)
As I reflect upon my "rebirth," however, I now realize that some things have changed while others have not. To be sure, I still consider myself to be a compassionate being; someone who would give the shirt off his back to another in need. On the other hand, I'm now more discerning about the question of "need" and find myself being much more conservative on this issue than ever before in my life. As someone who was trained academically as a political scientist (I even hold a doctorate in this field, which supposedly makes me an expert), I learned that the definition of public policy is "the allocation of values for a society." In this regard, social policies, in particular, have the effect, both intended and unintended, of distinguishing between not only the "haves" and the "have-nots" but also between the deserving poor and the undeserving poor. The former, for example, are those who may be structurally unemployed, disabled, or otherwise disadvantaged through no fault of their own, such that they are legitimately in need of public support and/or opportunity. The so-called "undeserving" folks don't share similar circumstances and often are viewed as lazy, irresponsible, unworthy, and trying to "beat the system" at everyone else's expense, including their "deserving" brethren.
Where is this all going, you may ask? Well, I've come to realize that my conservative view of "human needs" is founded on an evolving set of values that includes personal responsibility and, by implication, the will to meaning. In other words, I don't think or feel that we are doing justice to ourselves or others if we let anyone off the hook when it comes to personal responsibility. True freedom, as Viktor Frankl would say, is not about the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want it. On the contrary, true freedom rests firmly upon a foundation of personal (and collective) responsibility. It can not and will not exist otherwise.
So what does this long-winded rant have to do with the question of immigration? As I said, I'm against "illegal," and more importantly, irresponsible, immigration. I don't believe that authentic citizenship, be it for myself, my family, or anyone else, should be taken for granted or given away for "free." Indeed, especially when we are referring to citizenship in a democratic society (recognizing that democracy is a messy, complicated arrangement between the governors and the governed), the onus of responsibility--and, hence, the basis of true freedom--ultimately rests with the individual person as citizen. The rights and privileges of participatory democracy demand that this be the case; no more, no less.
Against this backdrop, not everyone is equipped, that is, willing and able, to assume the personal responsibility of citizenship even though they want (and some times even "demand") the rights and privileges that are supposed to come with it. I don't know about you, but my personal values dictate that there is nothing inherently "wrong" with drawing a line in the sand so that the boundaries of citizenship identity actually "mean" something. Sure, I want to display compassion to others. At the same time, I owe it to my fallen comrades to protect at least the illusion of what they fought and died for. I also owe it to future generations, including those in my own family, that the meaning of citizenship be honored and protected, in order to ensure that they too will have the opportunity to realize true freedom. Security and budgetary/monetary issues aside, illegal immigration, both on the part of those who cross a nation's border without authorization and on the part of those who employ or otherwise harbor such unauthorized persons, is irresponsible and, in no small way, caters to the meaninglessness and anomie of a humane society. As a "reborn" compassionate conservative, this is my personal opinion on the matter. How about you?
What is your stance on the immigration issue and do you see a relationship between immigration, responsibility, and the human quest for meaning?
I invite you to leave a comment and share your view on this provocative topic. I would love to hear from you and make our dialogue more meaning-FULL with your perspective.
All the best,
Alex
Alex Pattakos, Ph.D.
author, Prisoners of Our Thoughts
founder, Center for Meaning
Santa Fe, NM USA www.themeaningdifference.com
Come visit the Viktor Frankl Collection at the Global Dialogue Center
