John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com

I confess, when I’m confronted with a discussion about people immigrating to the United States I vacillate between sentiment and intellect. I turn to sentimental feelings about preserving and protecting good ole Yankee conventions. I champion those hardscrabble ways: an economy of words, a respecter of personal space, cautious enthusiasm, a neighborly helping hand, the superiority of reason, and humor acquitted only by a subtle knowing chuckle. (As I write about it, I think the borders could well be Canada and Massachusetts!)

Intellect tells me that these sentimental ways are surreal, restrictive, provincial and not as sacred as I’d like to believe. However, reason is no match for the bond I feel with the pure dry character of my imagined New England ancestors. However, when considering immigration, the downside is that such sentiment easily fosters the feeling that new immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are a disruption to that heartfelt bond.

Yet, our intellect cautions that such ancestral pride may lead to the realm of white racism and the conviction that foreigners are a threat to democracy, health, and financial well-being. It’s a bit like the ancient story of prideful Icarus flying too close to the sun that melts his wax wings. Wingless, he plunges to his death in the ocean below. Waxing eloquently about my imagined idealistic Yankee family plunges me back into a passion for the “good old days” and into the company of border wall enthusiasts, white racists, and advocates of hegemony. Remember that old proverb, “Pride goeth before the fall.”

These feelings may be sustained by a dependency on selective memory, that is choosing only the parts of history that match our favored beliefs and aspirations. Lifting up only the acceptable aspects of our nation’s history is to invite delusions and misinformation about the realities and the struggles of becoming the nation we are today. Selective memory of our history makes room for the negative judgmental attitude toward those who seek to immigrate. It requires leaving out the memory of early colonialism and the demise of Native American culture. Selective memory erases the reality that Europeans spread deadly diseases among the Indigenous people and the reality of instigating massacres that cleared the way for colonies to settle on the land. Selective memory ignores that colonial ancestors were undocumented aliens in the land of Native Americans. U.S. citizens have that in common with the refugees and undocumented people on our borders.

Resuscitating the ignored memories of these past realities may give us the perspective we need as we consider modifying U.S. border policy for our time. The country has been subjected to wave after wave of new immigrants. Many fear that these immigrants will be a threat to our way of life. But, maybe the threat is us. Perhaps, by rationally facing the uncomfortable inglorious aspects of our past, we can accept the need and wisdom to modify our sense of pride and superiority.

Confessing our misguided past may make room for thinking rationally about the country’s actions toward those seeking immigration or asylum. Borders must not be barriers. Borders are only governmental boundaries to be crossed, signaling differing governmental authorities. Borders mark the depositories for ancestral pride, remembered and admired as stepping stones toward a more inclusive future for all humankind. Borders may launch fresh cultural expressions into entrenched prideful traditions.

Inserting rational thought into border issues may be the way to make room for both cherished ancestral pride and logical procedures for the interchange of talents, insights, and humanitarian justice. Intellect may make room to sequester cultural pride where it may be remembered for its contributions to the present and where it may be a foundation for the future.

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There is really no contest between sentiment and intellect! Sentiment is the origin of our roots and individuality, intellect is our guide to reason, education, and knowledge. Together they enrich the human experience and open the borders to understanding one another.

Thoughts for this piece were generated by an article by David Leonhardt in the New York Times.