Who We Are

We have been discussing nationality on one of my news groups. It has gotten a little heated. One person insists that a person's nationality is solely based on where he or she was born. I feel that a person's ethnic background also affects one's nationality. The way I see it a person born in the United States of Irish parents is not only an American but is also Irish. A person's religion also contributes a part in what makes a person what he is. In my case I am an American by birth but I'm also Irish, Scottish, English, Pennsylvania Dutch and Cherokee as well as Catholic. My ancestors came from Ireland, Scotland, England, and Germany. My great grandmother was a member of the Cherokee tribe. I was born and raised Catholic. All of this is part of what I am.

I do wonder if the American way of looking at nationality as being not only American but also part of where you family emigrated from is due to the relatively young age of our country. Unlike other countries who can go back thousands of years and draw a direct parallel from ancient times to the present we only go back a couple of hundred years. Even those people who are native to this land are a diverse group of people. It is only in the movies that all Native Americans are the same. Each tribe has their own customs, languages, religions, and way of life. They can not be lumped together into one group. I think because this country is so physically huge and so many people immigrated from so many different lands that our clinging to our roots is our way of coping with the vastness.

I am proud to be an American but I am also proud of my other heritages. I am a student of history and I study where my ancestors come from. Just because I honor my other heritages it doesn't make me any less of an American. The past is the only way we can learn lessons in life. It is through our past that we learn how to cope with our present and plan for our future.

America is a melting pot and we should get to know all the various cultures that contribute to the American people we are today. The only place where I draw the line is race. As far as I am concerned there is only one race and  that is the human race. We should embrace those things that make us what we are. We should learn to understand the differences that come from a diverse people. We should never forget that we are however one race, one family, one Earth. This planet is all we have and we must learn to protect it and all of its inhabitants. In spite of all of our differences we are all part of the family of man.

The picture is again based on the show "The Prisoner" and is called "Hide N' Seek."