Migration

This is from some correspondence with an Uzbek friend in 2013.

I have a distinct feeling that if we spent time together and could have a real conversation, we'd both realize how far our minds have migrated.  I came from a very conservative part of the US, as you know, but through traveling and curiosity about a lot of things, I have had to reevaluate many of my old positions.  Some aspects I kept; some I happily discarded.  Traveling especially cured me of a lot of the negative!  Still don't have all the answers, and likely never will, but it's a much better place now: a lot less fear and a less of a need to feel so certain about things.  And my family's story, like that of most Americans is a story of migration to this "new world" that was already inhabited.  I'm sure whoever was here afraid of the massive migration of Europeans.  My ancestors sought out different areas of the US where they could settle, make money and raise families.  Some migrated west and became success stories, and others (my direct line) ventured south and ended up in Alabama, where they established themselves.  So anytime an American complains about migration and immigration, I say, "Well, first tell me your life story, because you first need to know where you came from.  Then, perhaps we can talk about modern immigration and the pluses and minuses."  Sometimes people will go down this path with me, and sometimes they get defensive.  Until people are taught to think for themselves using critical thinking, then understanding these complex issues will be even harder and emotions will "rule the day."

Thanks, Allen. Travelling and meeting with people of various cultural backgrounds and values helped me too to change my rather narrow worldview to a considerable degree.  Being in the academia also helps. I think you had an early advantage in that respect as you had already been rather polite in expressing your views when I first met you. But, our life experiences seem to have mellowed out us both similarly.