I have
never been interested in art or sculpture before. Nevertheless, when I passed by
the statue of liberty I was completely impressed. Not for the statue's tremendous
design ,as I have seen many, but I could not help flashing back three hundred
years ago. My mind kept visualizing the image of immigrants coming from diverse
places of the world desperately waiting to see that conspicuous sign of hope. I
tried to scrutinize what was the impetus that motivated them to leave their
countries. I guess the reason had nothing to do with economic or professional
consideration as much it had with the living in equality under the auspices of
the rule of law that treated all people as equal footed. Such notions were
viewed as revolutionary by that time and this what made New York unique. Regretfully
after three hundred years it seems Politicians around the globe still do not get. That is why
despite the gigantic leap in modern technology, the whole world is torn apart in
disputes under the guise of fake causes. Anyway I left the cruise
Imagining that the whole world was one city and the states are its citizens. This led me to the question why states are not
treated equally in front of international law, why we still have double
standards ?
In
other words, New York strikes an unmatched example of religious tolerance and equality which must be echoed in
inter-state relationships and should not be confined only to the domestic boundaries
of this great country
.
P.S: the posted photo
is captured by the skillful photographer Alexander.
Thanks for your inspiring comments, Moussa. They really helped me at a moment when my colleagues and I at my other job (for the New York City Department of Education) are struggling to keep immigrants' hopes alive. Unfortunately, there is a move underway to stop admitting non-literate immigrants to the free ESL classes at my program and instead refer them to another program that is already overburdened and underfunded. When I read your comments, it gave me the courage to continue protesting this new policy. As we often hear, "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance." The effort never ends, and I hope you'll be part of it, too.
ReplyDeleteMarcia your comment is a feather in my cap . I am glad to know that my words have a tiny role in motivating you to continue your unfailing efforts in enhancing life of others .
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