We Must Be That City

In one of my increasingly rare moments of clarity, I said something today regarding the refugee crisis, and the United States’ role in helping those unfortunate people in need of so much help. I’ll let you read it, and think about it for yourself:
“Good. How we treat the least of these says a great deal about who we are, and what we really represent as a people. Yes, we need to spend money in so many places, for so many needy causes, but this is just as important. One human life is not worth more than another simply because of an invisible boundary, or a piece of paper declaring their citizenship inside or outside of that dotted line.
As human beings, we are stewards of more than the land, water, and the air, we’re stewards of each other. It is that each of us can say to our own hearts that I am my brother’s keeper, I am my neighbor’s ally, I am the protector, the guardian of the downhearted, the uplifting spirit of the troubled, and the healing balm of the sick and destitute.
If we are the city on the hill, the civilized nation we claim to be, then all of humanity must be our priority.”
The comment was in response to this article: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/syrias-suffering-families/u-s-way-behind-its-goal-accepting-10-000-syrian-n552521
The U.S. is behind, but we have started to take in those refugees, and that is good news. The downside is that being behind means so many people who are in need will see delays, and that isn’t so good. These people need help, and we need to get over our latent xenophobia and step up and be the nation we claim to be. We can do it, I believe we can, but we have to realize that there is no “other,” we’re all the same. We’re all human, and we all deserve basic compassion and respect. We must be that city on the hill. We must, for the good of not only those in need, like the refugees, but also because we need to restore our collective soul.
 
-Amaris