When I arrived here, my attitude was the same as every European’s fresh off the boat―a feeling of calmly assumed cultural superiority. The same kind of feeling you have towards high school kids talking about poetry, or the new guy in your office droning on about workflow. Experience, time, let’s face it: History is on your side! Surely, coming from a continent that has such a diverse culture, such a cornucopia of wars, famines, great thinkers and glorious artists makes you a more sophisticated human being than these youngsters? I laughed at “historical buildings” that are barely 200 years old, I chuckled at the subject of American history.
But working in America is a humbling experience. People get up early and go to bed late. There is no sentimentality lost, work has to be done, no matter what. The only thing you are judged by is the impact of your work. And you realize: All your sophistication, culture and history buy you nothing! The people who came here more often than not did so because they wanted to leave their old lives behind. Together with the history, the culture, and the prejudices. Coming here was making a clean slate―your religious beliefs, your philosphical views were secondary to your ability to make a life. History was what you made for yourself. You can knowledgeably talk about medieval poetry, Romanticism and dialectic? Good for you! Now, concerning that deadline…
And then, what kind of history would a German and a Chinese immigrant have to share? The first point in time they both could relate to was the time they arrived here. What each of them had thought of as historical facts was just an interesting story from another place and time to the other. Even if you did not want to leave the past behind, it was something you shared with a much smaller group, something private and reserved for special occasions. So while many Americans treasure their heritage and take interest in the countries of their ancestors, they do so in their spare time. History is something that happened in the past, but we are living now!
And just in case it becomes history some day, we better do a good job in the meantime…