The Big Immigration Debate

Who owns the Earth?

Photo credit:countercurrent.org

Do you know the answer to that? I’ve been wondering myself. When you were born, did you come into the world with a piece of the Earth, like a spaceship that landed in your place of birth? Does that mean you have no free choice as to where you can live? It seems like every person is born with restrictions they have no say over.

For example, if you're born in the USA or Russia, does that automatically grant you the right to own the country? Isn’t this the root of the problem? The Earth is filled with beautiful places, rich in natural resources and skilled people. We’ve created a global economy, but we still get jittery when someone wants to move to our country.

The Historical Context of Global Power

Your side became economically stable by forcibly demanding embassies in my side, fighting and killing to gain control. At that time, it wasn’t considered dictatorship or totalitarianism to impose your will on another nation. It was the accepted norm. We had empires across the world, like the Mali Empire, Songhai, Abyssinia, Egypt, and more recently, the British Empire.

In those times, the norms allowed anyone in power to do anything. But norms change. The very people who created the rules often break them, expecting others to change along with them.

The Consequences of Globalization

Nations all over the world have been robbed of valuable human and natural resources in the pursuit of globalization. What are the consequences of that?

Imagine this: If you came to my house, and through your great wisdom and my ignorance, you persuaded me to give up my furniture, my valuables, food, clothing, and all my children, carrying them far away to your homeland, and then forced my children to work for you to help expand and beautify your home—how would you feel?

These children would grow up knowing nothing of me or my homeland. They would only know you and your country. Is it fair to send them back without any support or livelihood?

The Cycle of Destruction

Now, I have nothing. Yes, it was my ignorance and, in many ways, my greed that brought me to this point. I gave up everything, and made pacts that deplete resources I didn’t even know I had. I am impoverished by my greed and lack of foresight. My children grow hungry, desperate. They begin to devise ways to survive: they discover that you are rich and powerful, well-fed, and live in abundance.

Is it wrong for them to want to live in your land? No. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The boomerang is coming back to you, my friend.

Dividing and Conquering

Furthermore, because I resisted, you instigated a mutiny in my camp, dividing my household. You found favor with some of my brothers who took up arms against their homeland to satisfy your hunger for more. You supplied them with ammunition, so they could destroy me and get their own way.

Do you expect my children to be happy with this? My friend, put yourself in my shoes. Every day, my children live in turmoil and war. They wake up to the sound of gunshots and missiles. They’ve never known peace. They’ve heard stories about you—whether true or not is irrelevant.

The war, hunger, and lack have turned them into criminals, terrorists, and economic migrants—all terms you created for crimes you committed against them when it was socially acceptable. When it suited you, you forced them to adopt your religious beliefs and ideals, branding them "barbarians" and "primitive" when they resisted.

Understanding the Injustice

This is not how friends act. We live in the same home, but in different rooms. Tell me, if the tables were turned, would you want to be treated this way by me? I don’t think so. I forgive you, but my children need more convincing. What should we do about them?

I watched a program yesterday where a man and his wife, who had lived as illegal immigrants in the USA for 20 years, were deported back to Mexico. They had paid taxes, established a business, and raised three children who were fully American citizens. They owned a home and were law-abiding citizens. All they wanted was to move to a place where they could be comfortable.

Now, the family is torn apart. The parents live in Mexico, while their children are left to fend for themselves. Where is the right of those American children? They have a right to be with their parents, or vice versa. Forcing them to return to a country they hardly know, leaving behind their friends, just because this piece of land doesn’t belong to them—is utterly ridiculous.

The Spirit of the Law

I know I may sound naïve, but I ask you to always put yourself in the shoes of others. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. The letter of the law can be harsh, but the spirit of the law gives life. Stop being so rigid. Your turn will come one day. Be tender-hearted and kind, and carry the burden of the house.

A Wiser Perspective

I am now a wiser man. I know that I love you, despite all that you’ve done in your desperation for more. Yes, you hurt my home and my people, but it’s your home too. You depopulated me and repopulated yourself. You shifted my problem onto your shoulders, making it your problem as well. You took a journey through my land, and it ended at yours.

The Earth is our shared home. If you keep destroying my room, one day it will collapse. Like Haiti, you will have no choice but to help me rebuild, using the very resources you took from me. Otherwise, the house will continue to deteriorate, and in the end, we will all lose.

A Shared Responsibility

One more thing, my dear friend: please stop smoking. It’s bad for your health, and it’s also staining the walls of our shared home, killing our children and poisoning our food. Our water is contaminated, and the animals are dying. Every time you use chemicals to clean your floors or drive your huge car, and then throw the dirty water into my garden, my vegetables curl up and die. The bird waterhole is polluted, and my children are affected.

I try to keep my chemicals to a minimum, but I’ve never thrown my dirty water into your vegetable patch. Please stop. If you don’t, we’ll both suffer. The chemicals will eventually drain into your land, and neither of us will be able to grow food. What will we do then? I fear to imagine.

The Shared Humanity

I think you can understand my line of thinking, my friend. I am your brother. I am you. Whatever you do to me, you are ultimately doing to yourself. So, because I love you and this beautiful house that we share, please take care of yourself by taking care of me.

Do you know the answer to that? I’ve been wondering myself. When you were born, did you come into the world with a piece of the Earth, like a spaceship that landed in your place of birth? Does that mean you have no free choice as to where you can live? It seems like every person is born with restrictions they have no say over.

For example, if you're born in the USA or Russia, does that automatically grant you the right to own the country? Isn’t this the root of the problem? The Earth is filled with beautiful places, rich in natural resources and skilled people. We’ve created a global economy, but we still get jittery when someone wants to move to our country.

The Historical Context of Global Power

Your side became economically stable by forcibly demanding embassies in my side, fighting and killing to gain control. At that time, it wasn’t considered dictatorship or totalitarianism to impose your will on another nation. It was the accepted norm. We had empires across the world, like the Mali Empire, Songhai, Abyssinia, Egypt, and more recently, the British Empire.

In those times, the norms allowed anyone in power to do anything. But norms change. The very people who created the rules often break them, expecting others to change along with them.

The Consequences of Globalization

Nations all over the world have been robbed of valuable human and natural resources in the pursuit of globalization. What are the consequences of that?

Imagine this: If you came to my house, and through your great wisdom and my ignorance, you persuaded me to give up my furniture, my valuables, food, clothing, and all my children, carrying them far away to your homeland, and then forced my children to work for you to help expand and beautify your home—how would you feel?

These children would grow up knowing nothing of me or my homeland. They would only know you and your country. Is it fair to send them back without any support or livelihood?

The Cycle of Destruction

Now, I have nothing. Yes, it was my ignorance and, in many ways, my greed that brought me to this point. I gave up everything, and made pacts that deplete resources I didn’t even know I had. I am impoverished by my greed and lack of foresight. My children grow hungry, desperate. They begin to devise ways to survive: they discover that you are rich and powerful, well-fed, and live in abundance.

Is it wrong for them to want to live in your land? No. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The boomerang is coming back to you, my friend.

Dividing and Conquering

Furthermore, because I resisted, you instigated a mutiny in my camp, dividing my household. You found favor with some of my brothers who took up arms against their homeland to satisfy your hunger for more. You supplied them with ammunition, so they could destroy me and get their own way.

Do you expect my children to be happy with this? My friend, put yourself in my shoes. Every day, my children live in turmoil and war. They wake up to the sound of gunshots and missiles. They’ve never known peace. They’ve heard stories about you—whether true or not is irrelevant.

The war, hunger, and lack have turned them into criminals, terrorists, and economic migrants—all terms you created for crimes you committed against them when it was socially acceptable. When it suited you, you forced them to adopt your religious beliefs and ideals, branding them "barbarians" and "primitive" when they resisted.

Understanding the Injustice

This is not how friends act. We live in the same home, but in different rooms. Tell me, if the tables were turned, would you want to be treated this way by me? I don’t think so. I forgive you, but my children need more convincing. What should we do about them?

I watched a program yesterday where a man and his wife, who had lived as illegal immigrants in the USA for 20 years, were deported back to Mexico. They had paid taxes, established a business, and raised three children who were fully American citizens. They owned a home and were law-abiding citizens. All they wanted was to move to a place where they could be comfortable.

Now, the family is torn apart. The parents live in Mexico, while their children are left to fend for themselves. Where is the right of those American children? They have a right to be with their parents, or vice versa. Forcing them to return to a country they hardly know, leaving behind their friends, just because this piece of land doesn’t belong to them—is utterly ridiculous.

The Spirit of the Law

I know I may sound naïve, but I ask you to always put yourself in the shoes of others. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. The letter of the law can be harsh, but the spirit of the law gives life. Stop being so rigid. Your turn will come one day. Be tender-hearted and kind, and carry the burden of the house.

A Wiser Perspective 

I am now a wiser man. I know that I love you, despite all that you’ve done in your desperation for more. Yes, you hurt my home and my people, but it’s your home too. You depopulated me and repopulated yourself. You shifted my problem onto your shoulders, making it your problem as well. You took a journey through my land, and it ended at yours.

The Earth is our shared home. If you keep destroying my room, one day it will collapse. Like Haiti, you will have no choice but to help me rebuild, using the very resources you took from me. Otherwise, the house will continue to deteriorate, and in the end, we will all lose.

A Shared Environmental Responsibility

One more thing, my dear friend: please stop smoking. It’s bad for your health, and it’s also staining the walls of our shared home, killing our children and poisoning our food. Our water is contaminated, and the animals are dying. Every time you use chemicals to clean your floors or drive your huge car, and then throw the dirty water into my garden, my vegetables curl up and die. The bird waterhole is polluted, and my children are affected.

I try to keep my chemicals to a minimum, but I’ve never thrown my dirty water into your vegetable patch. Please stop. If you don’t, we’ll both suffer. The chemicals will eventually drain into your land, and neither of us will be able to grow food. What will we do then? I fear to imagine.

The Shared Humanity

I think you can understand my line of thinking, my friend. I am your brother. I am you. Whatever you do to me, you are ultimately doing to yourself. So, because I love you and this beautiful house that we share, please take care of you by taking care of me.