Immigrants

I honestly don't understand why it is so hard for people to put themselves in immigrants' shoes. Why do people demean, yell, insult, etc. people who have come from, in some cases, absolutely horrible conditions for a chance at a better, calmer, safer life?

Not many people actually *want* to leave their homeland. They also don't want to be bombed out or live in a tent with no water. Many people who come here are escaping something truly awful. With the current political climate in the US, I often wonder why anyone would want to immigrate there. But even as bad as it seems to me, it's still better than where they were coming from.

Maybe it's because I have traveled to other parts of the world, but I can envision at least a tiny portion of what that could be like. If I was forced to move to another country for my safety, I would likely feel defeated pretty quickly. I may not speak the language (not because I don't want to, I just haven't learned it yet and had to flee in a hurry) and that is a huge disadvantage. The customs are different, the rules and laws different. Things I took for granted as "the way things are done" may need to be totally revisited, and the older you are, the harder that is. If I tried to start a business, I may be met with racism, red tape, and many other obstacles. I might be accused of stealing jobs, when all I wanted to do was to be safe and not shot at on a daily basis. I may have a high level of education or valuable specialty, but I can't get a job in my field because my credentials are not recognized.

Every individual who comes here has his/her own story. They had reasons for coming here that are valid and understandable. The key is to look at it as an individual and not as a group: don't look at it as a bunch of Syrians taking up housing and jobs. Look at it as Abbud and his wife & kids escaping a war-torn area. You've talked to him, you know his story, it sounded like an awful place to be, but he immigrated here and is now trying to adjust to a new life. I am hard pressed to think that most Canadians would not be friendly to Abbud if they talked to him and knew him on this level.

We need more compassion. We have a big country with plenty of room to share. There's no need for us to hog it when we can help others escape a bad situation. Remember the Golden Rule: Do unto others and you would have them do unto you.

More of what's bad about social media

[gist of] Original post:  Saw Aquaman, not perfect but liked it a lot.

Reply post: "Saw it in Costa Rica on IMAX. Was good!! :)"

Translation: "I went to Costa Rica over the holidays and want everyone to know it, so I'm commenting here so you can all be jealous that I went somewhere warm!"





Yet another reason why social media can really drag you down. I don't care that somebody went to Costa Rica and I didn't. If I want to, I can save up some money, sacrifice other plans, and go. But why does this person have to make a point of telling us that they saw a movie in IMAX (closest screen to here is 4h away) and in a tropical location? Their reply could just as easily have been "Saw it too. Was good!!" Instead, it was "me me LOOK AT ME!" Ugh.

I'm aware that people post their curated lives on social media. But it gets tiring. One of my favorite posts of 2018 was by a friend who acknowledged that he only posted the good times with his daughter, and told us what had to happen to get some of those happy pictures. Finally! Thanks for being real!

I know nobody wants to hear complaints all the time, but a little realism here or there wouldn't hurt.