Xenophobia: when we are all foreigners

This morning, while walking around the city in which I live, I saw two families that touched my heart and I started to think of how the fear (sometimes a bad feeling) against foreigners can create problems for us and, of course, for them as I am sure at least their children are not going to any school…

This blog is not a political platform; rather than that, I try to raise awareness.

It is not for a social awareness either, but self-awareness… because, you see, we are all foreigners.

Our civilization has becoming an expert on splitting us, humans, into different categories and the land in which we were born is one of them. By this reality, I am Brazilian, a foreigner living in Colombia.

But my relatives are not original from the green giant; I have at least German and Spanish roots. In a way, I am a foreigner in relation to the land I was born!

Besides, I am human; how many species have been displaced for me to be where I am right now? We are all foreigners in relation to them.

And so on! In whichever way anyone looks, we are foreigners living at a place we shouldn’t be… should we?

Let’s look from another perspective: as a human, I can help other species to thrive, I can help them to live longer or to have better health.

As a descendant, I see the influence of my ancestors’ people everywhere in Brazil: food, language, lifestyle, etc. The impact is profound; it has changed the profile of a Brazilian.

As an immigrant in Colombia, I have been serving these people for almost 30 years and I am sure, some impact was done…

In other words, we as foreigners, change our reality. As the foreigner you are, which type of impact have you created?