As always, this is a controversial topic. So try and stay open-minded, because these are just thoughts – not necessarily my beliefs. Not yet at least. I’m just trying to view things from all angles before committing to anything.
As I’m sure you all know, the world is going through a bit of a suck right now. Our news outlets are filled with countless stories about something else going wrong. Despite having loads of disheartening topics to choose from, I’m going to focus on the Migrant Crisis for this entry.
I can’t decide if we’re making the right decision. America, I mean. In case you hadn’t been following the headlines, the Obama Administration has announced that the US is going to be accepting about 100,000 refugees into 2017. Sounds like a humanitarian thing to do, right?
Normally I would be supportive of that. As the globe’s (albeit dwindling) leading power, I think it’s great to help out those who aren’t fortunate enough to live in a land where they enjoy the many freedoms we enjoy. That said, one can’t ignore the threats issued by ISIS to use our benevolent efforts in order to smuggle in their evil cohorts.
So I thought about that a lot, and decided we’re probably shooting ourselves in the foot. Think about this: how many great leaders have set out to do great things, only to get themselves killed? If you need help, here’s a VERY short list to remind you:
- John F. Kennedy
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Indira Gandhi
- Malcolm X
- Abraham Lincoln
- King Faisal (Saudi Arabia)
- Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan)
I could go on, but you get the point. Let’s think about this for a minute. All of these people set out to make the world a better place. And they were INCREDIBLE people. Whether you agree with their views or not, they were incredible. There’s no denying that. And they all died for their causes.
Now usually, I would say that’s wonderful and inspirational. And in all of the above cases, I DO say that. If I were them, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
HOWEVER. These are all individuals. That’s the key word here. This refugee crisis is putting our entire nation at risk. I’ll try to explain, and hopefully you’ll get my point (whether you agree or not).
Any crash course in World History will tell you that literally every great empire essentially has three stages in its life cycle. A rise, a reign, and a fall. Some last more than others, but that’s the general trend. They all eventually do something that ends up screwing them. Invading during the Russian Winter (when will they learn?), trying to overextend their reach, attempting an unstable political system, whatever. They all do something that results in their demise, whether it began with good intentions or not.
So again…I’m all for helping people who need help. But in this case, I’m a bit skeptical as to whether we’re making the right decision or not. If the United States were an individual person, and only their own life were at stake – then I would say go for it. But when you have hundreds of millions of lives at stake (who may not agree with the gesture in the first place) – I think you should be a bit more cautious.
Of course that would leave many people asking – well what do we do then? Well truthfully (and please don’t think I’m a monster for this)…it’s not really our place to do anything. After all, we have FAR too many domestic issues to iron out anyway. I think we need to get our own shit together before we worry about policing everyone else (pardon the colloquialism).
Anyway, that’s just something I’ve been thinking about. If it were up to me, we would figure SOMETHING out eventually, because it really saddens me that innocent people are suffering. But I don’t think putting American lives at risk is the smartest way to help at the moment.
Just a thought. Feel free to comment here or on my FB link – I’d be very interested in hearing other people’s perspectives. God bless America.
How the World Should Work 