Michael Laitman on the Times of Israel: “Is Immigration Killing New York?”

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about an immigration crisis in New York. More and more migrants are making their homes on the streets of Manhattan, pitching tents and sleeping on the sidewalks in the cold winter months.

The mayor of New York has raised the idea of placing migrants on cruise ships. On the flip side, some are calling for closed borders, urging a return of migrants to their home countries. It is indeed a complicated situation.

Today, millions of people around the world are on the move, looking for a better life. But where they settle matters, and Siberia is not exactly topping their list. Manhattan definitely seems like a much brighter option.

On one hand, immigrants have built America into what it is today. But on the other hand, times have changed and now Americans feel like the landlords. They want their comfort and the idea of hosting everyone has lost its mass appeal.

The big question is whether it is right for a country to close its doors to illegal immigrants. I say yes. Every country has the right to decide who gets in and who does not, and it includes setting the rules.

But then comes a deeper inquiry. What about the sense of homeland? Is it right to feel that your home is exclusively yours? Well, not exactly. It depends on your values and feelings, but the idea of a shared planet for everyone is gaining ground.

I was once optimistic that people would come to the realization that nothing in this world is truly theirs. But nowadays, humanity acts like the world is its personal playground, tearing it up in the process.

The future? Ideally, humanity needs some serious re-education. We should view the entire planet as our shared home, working together to make it a good one for all.

Our world is undergoing changes today like no other time in history. The more globally interconnected and interdependent we become, the more we are being shown how we need to shift our perspective from “this is my place, my country” to “this is our common home, for everyone.” The time has come to break free from the mindset of organizing our lives for our own personal benefit to instead live in order to benefit others and the whole of humanity. If we succeed in making that shift on a mass scale, then we will bear witness to the birth of a brand new harmonious and peaceful world.
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