What A Country!

I split the past week between conferences in New York City and San Diego. As you might imagine it is fascinating to have the opportunity to compare and contrast these cities.I did not spend enough time in either place to have any great insights into them, but I did get a couple of striking impressions about the country.

First, it is clear to me that America remains the greatest land of opportunity in the world. Both New York and San Diego are teeming with immigrants. In fact, it appeared to me that immigrants hold the vast majority of service jobs in both cities. I have had mixed views on our national immigration controversy, but this past week, I was reminded of the place immigrants hold in our country. As we left New York, we could see the Statue of Liberty from our plane. We must continue to welcome immigrants; people who come here to become Americans. We must find a way to stop illegal immigration while continuing to blend new flavor into the melting pot that has been America.

Another thing you can't miss is that this is a big country and its geography is vastly different from coast to coast. The West seems to be comprised of great expanses of desert and mountains. From our plane, the man-made wonder of Miss Liberty gave way to God's natural wonders, the Grand Canyon and Painted Desert. The colors are different. The East is white from snow (but I know its green underneath). The West is multi-hued, red, brown, orange; but it is clearly a lot of rock and sand. Green requires water and there just isn't that much out there. The San Diego paper had a story about water shortages; unthinkable in the Northeast with the Great Lakes brimming.

Finally, the two cities are (at least on the surface) quite different. New York is cold, dark, and crowded. San Diego is warm and bright with lots of open spaces. New York is all business and hubbub. San Diego seems more relaxed and playful (as, I suppose, befits a resort town). San Diego was a nice place to visit, but I feel more at home in New York.

The amazing thing is that its all part of America. 3000 miles and worlds apart, the people in both places are Americans. They salute the same flag and have the same ideals. In the end, the differences are trivial.

What a country, indeed!