Are You Illegal?

Illegal immigration is such a controversial subject that this country has been riding on for decades. The views I've gathered for myself on the subject have always been the same. I can admit I've pretty much jumped on the band wagon, doing little research I assumed the conservative way of looking at illegal aliens is just how it is and always will be. Up until yesterday I hadn't really put much more thought into this until  I was approached with an opposing view on how this issue can be looked at. In Paul Rogat Loeb's book titled "Soul of a Citizen," I came across a thought that opened my eyes to a whole new light, as Loeb would write it, "Widening the circle." I never thought to imagine myself in the shoes of someone less fortunate than myself, and the empathy that comes with doing just that was a bit hard for me to swallow. After viewing an episode of 30 Days and watching cameras following a Minute Man while he lived in the shoes of a family of illegal aliens living in L.A; I was astounded by how he took the whole process. The realism of the pain some people must endure brought a tear to my eye. The episode left me feeling selfish for not recognizing how much we all take for granted. In reflecting on my opinion on the video I stumbled across another reflection of one of my peers, I thought it was beautifully written and I wanted to post it, for myself and others to think about. This was written by Nathan Bartman an FGCU student whom I don't think he could have stated the way this video made him feel any better, I agree with him with the up most respect for the way he put his thought into words.