On the one hand, when Mexican immigrants like my parents come to the United States, they usually come with very little. Maybe they bring an old leather suitcase filled with worn out clothes and black-and-white wedding photos. But they do have one valuable thing with them: an unlimited sense of optimism, the firm belief that tomorrow will be better than today and their kids lives will be brighter than the ones they’re living today.
On the other hand, the United States was built on optimism. This is the land of second chances, where risk takers from Mexico — and other countries around the world — come to wipe the slate clean and start the game over. It doesn’t matter what you did for a living in your home country. When you get to the United States, you’re expected to reinvent yourself. The country promises a fresh start and a chance to improve your lot in life.
Having said that, as I listen to our national dialogue, I get depressed. Human beings treat each other very poorly. It’s frustrating to see the way in which our leaders — political, business, spiritual, you name it — behave.
A prime example of this the current ruckus between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV. These are the two most powerful Americans in the world.
The bad blood started when Leo criticized the Iran war, and some of Trump’s social media postings about the conflict. Trump responded by attacking Leo. Leo declared that he wasn’t afraid of the U.S. president. And so it went.
In this argument, there will be no winner. Everyone loses.
And when the dust settles, the people of the world will be right to ask: Is there no bottom?
Maximiliano Cuevas, MD is the CEO of Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas, a collective of non-profit community health care centers that serve patients in Monterey County.