St Andrew's day ink

[Phil]

The thing is that we of the New World don't have an identity in the same way that those of the Old have. We don't have traditions, and language, and history reaching back before civilization itself.

As a native of the "Old World" I don't see it that way. The thought that things around me are perhaps hundreds of years old never occurs to me. It is not a matter of living in the past, interesting as history may be. What does occur to me, however, is the fact that I belong to a single, distinct and identifiable nation whose values and traditions I was raised with and which I share with most of my compatriots. To be brought up in a "melting pot" with a bewildering range of values and traditions brought by immigrants from many disparate lands, none of which are allowed to prevail in the imperative for national unity, perhaps is the reason now for identifying with a distinct background and saying "This is where I choose to belong".

[KFCarter]

To be brought up in a "melting pot" with a bewildering range of values and traditions brought by immigrants from many disparate lands, none of which are allowed to prevail in the imperative for national unity, perhaps is the reason now for identifying with a distinct background and saying "This is where I choose to belong".

I think there's some truth to that, compounded further by the rootlessness of many folks here. I was born in Utah, raised in Chicago, South Carolina, Florida and eventually Georgia. Where am I from? Beats me.

I do know that my interest in my family's roots, and in particular the prominent Scottish roots, date back to a very early age, certainly before I was consciously aware of the "melting pot" and "rootlessness" issues... but perhaps they were playing a role even then.