I am fortunate to meet an optimist here.
“Welcome to Balad On the brink of fascism.”
That was the first thing the professor in the adjacent office told me when I arrived in New York this winter for a research stay.
Since then, I’ve met many who share his pessimism. When the Supreme Court overturned the right to free abortion in June, she marched among hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in a spontaneous demonstration. She felt like she was boiling with anger and sadness over the development.
This is the second time I have spent a semester here in New York. The last time was in 2014, and a lot has changed in the US since then.
“It’s like lying Someone told me. He was referring to the Native American belief that everyone could succeed if they worked and kept working. This is the myth upon which American society is founded.
“E pluribus unum” is written on the American coat of arms: “One of many.” Many countries, one nation. But also: among many individuals, one community.
Diversity is of the essence, which is what attracts so many of us to this country. The idea has always been that society arises as a result of diversity. The common denominator between them is that everyone is free to live their life – and that everyone is responsible for how things go in life.
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