This World is Incredible

I have a thought to share.

I've said this before: My great-grandpa served in the German army in World War II.  He was captured by the French army early on in the war and actually did not kill a single person, as far as I know.  He spent the majority of his service in the army as a P.O.W. in France; he was released when the war ended.

I am currently living with a Jewish family.  I have known Jewish people, so they aren't a novelty, but it hit me while I was reading The Book Thief (again) that I am the great-granddaughter of a German soldier and have been extended the hospitality of a Jewish family.  It is incredible.

On Wednesday, I went to a Target store in Virginia with a group of people.  Here is a list of the people in the group:

There was a black (I think African-American) man who is working to open a small gym on Barracks Row.  He is incredibly friendly and has medical training as well as experience as a model and in personal training.

There was a Hispanic man who works for the company I am interning for.  He is a jack-of-all-trades and can do anything from installing a sink to fixing a computer.

There was an Indian-American woman who is interning at the Capitol.  She is polite, friendly, and sociable.  This is her second internship at the Capitol.

There was a Caucasian Jewish woman, the mother and wife in the home I am living in.  She is generous, hard-working, and intelligent.  Oh, and although he wasn't along for the trip, I may as well mention that her husband, who is also Jewish, was born in Great Britain.

And there was me.  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon.  I am Caucasian, and my ancestors have been in the western United States for generations (with the exception of my German ancestors and relations).

Diversity + Unquestioned Acceptance + Friendly Conversation and Joking = That Shopping Trip.

My ancestors weren't just German.  I have ancestors who were real cowboys; my grandpa can tell stories about times when he was dropped off in the mountains with his brothers for months at a time so they could watch over the animals.  I have ancestors who were miners in the city where my family still lives; my great-grandpa on that side built a ski lift out of old mining parts, helping Park City, Utah, toward its future as a ski resort town.  I have ancestors who came west with the Mormon pioneers.

The Mormon pioneers underwent a lot of persecution.  Actually, that's the main reason they went out to Utah (at the time, it was WAY out in the boonies).  It became legal to kill a Mormon in Missouri.  Mobs attacked multiple times.  They were kicked out of towns, murdered, robbed, raped, their land and property was destroyed, you name it.  They came to Utah so they could live without fear.

I know these sorts of things happened to my ancestors, yet I don't feel discriminated against because of it.  I don't feel as if I'm being held back because of how they were treated.  I have great respect for my ancestors and my heritage, and yes, that includes my German great-grandpa.  I am not at all ashamed.  I am proud.

I have to wonder how other people feel about their own heritage and ancestry.  When I was invited to live here, this Jewish woman asked if I was Mormon, but I wasn't asked if I had German ancestry.  Would it have changed their minds?  I doubt it.  They don't seem like that sort of people.

What sort of connection do African-Americans feel toward their enslaved ancestors (assuming they descend from enslaved peoples)?  I hope they are proud.  What happened was terrible, but look at how strong those people were!  And look at how far they have come.  As an example, look at this guy I went to Target with.  He is opening a gym in Washington, D.C. Here's another: I know a black guy who is a professional photographer.  Oprah Winfrey lives the life of a celebrity and gives out tons of free stuff because she can.  The man living a few blocks away from me right now is black.  It is incredible.  I love Zora Neale Hurston's How it Feels to Be Colored Me (she was black, by the way).  Everyone should read it; it's really short (two pages or so).  Here is a quote, not the best part of the piece, but the most applicable to what I'm saying:

Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the granddaughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me. Slavery is sixty years in the past. The operation was successful and the patient is doing well, thank you. The terrible struggle that made me an American out of a potential slave said "On the line!" The Reconstruction said "Get set!" and the generation before said "Go!" I am off to a flying start and I must not halt in the stretch to look behind and weep. Slavery is the price I paid for civilization, and the choice was not with me. It is a bully adventure and worth all that I have paid through my ancestors for it. No one on earth ever had a greater chance for glory. The world to be won and nothing to be lost. It is thrilling to think--to know that for any act of mine, I shall get twice as much praise or twice as much blame. It is quite exciting to hold the center of the national stage, with the spectators not knowing whether to laugh or to weep.

How about Jewish people today?  Their oppressed ancestors and, in some cases, living relatives, lived during one of the darkest times of all human history.  Many did not live to see the end of the nightmare, and those who survived somehow continued on.  Go onto IMDb and research Jewish actors/actresses/people having to do with movies.  Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Mel Brooks, Billy Joel, Natalie Portman, and it continues -- the list is forever long. I'm not saying these people are necessarily great (I think they're talented; however, I'm not an expert), but they are definitely people society has accepted and celebrated.  How do they feel about their Jewish heritage?

There are so many cultures out there, so many peoples who are descended from ancestors who lived in terrible circumstances.  I feel like everyone must have a story to tell from their heritage.  These stories influence us, but how?  I am a Mormon, living in the United States capital, where I once would have been unwelcome (coming East at all would have been a death-wish a century and a half ago).  I am the great-granddaughter of a WWII German soldier, living in a Jewish home by their invitation.  I feel only pride for my roots, for my ancestors, for the people whose lives have allowed me to live mine.

Tonight, I'm going to bed feeling grateful, proud, and in awe.  Oh, how society changes.