For decades, society has sold us a dangerous illusion: to succeed in the “new house”, we must leave the baggage of the old house outside. They called it a “melting pot”, they called it “integration”, but the meaning was one – erasure. The thought was that the more we were “less from there”, the more we would be “from here”. Less smells of spices, less foreign languages, less stories about what used to be.
But today, when I look at generations of immigrants and children of immigrants, I understand that this illusion took a heavy toll. The erasure did not create a new and strong Israeli, it created generations of people with a divided identity, who feel torn both here and there.
Our basic mistake was thinking that identity is a closed container – if we put in “Israeliness”, we will have to take out “roots”. The reality is completely opposite. An integrative identity – one that knows how to hold both the legacy of the past and the challenges of the present at the same time – is the most immune identity there is.
This is where the concept I call comes in “rootedness present”. Rootedness is not a nostalgic indulgence in “what used to be in Ethiopia/Morocco/Russia”. It is not a visit to the museum once a year. Present rootedness is a daily practice, alive and kicking. It is the conscious choice to bring the language, the flavors and the family stories into the kitchen, into the living room and into the conversation with our children.
We are used to measuring success in terms of degrees, paychecks or social status. But there is a type of success that we tend to overlook: Complete success.
Complete success is the ability of a person to move in the world when he feels whole. When a boy or girl knows on whose shoulders they stand, when they know their grandmother’s stories of heroism and strength, they develop a backbone that no social crisis can bend.
The data on the ground do not lie: Those who are not ashamed of their roots, those who feel that their identity is an asset and not a burden – succeeds more. He does better in school, he does better in his career, and he mostly does better in being happy. why? Because he doesn’t waste precious energy on hiding. He acts out of inner sovereignty.
in my book, “scarred stone”, Nagasti’s character reveals the “missing link” – those rich lives and deep-rooted values that have sustained an entire community for generations. Nagasti did not wait for someone to confirm that she was “good enough”. She just was.
It’s time for us to stop waiting for approval from the establishment, the company or the employer to show who we are. Our roots are not nice weekend “folklore” – they are our “social vaccine” against the alienation and violence of the modern age.
True success does not require us to give up on ourselves. It requires us to take root. Because only those who feel at home within the story of their family, can feel at home wherever they choose to go.
Lecturer, writer and strategic consultant for identity-based leadership. Accompanying organizations, managers and communities in a process that transforms identity, roots and life experience from a source of concealment or friction - to a source of presence, belonging, leadership and impact.
צמיחה אמיתית לא נולדת מחיקוי, אלא מהאומץ לפגוש את עצמך - ולהביא לעולם את האני שלך באמת
אני מזמינה אותך ליצור איתי קשר
Fentay Maharat-Alamu's debut novel returns to the world of the women of the House of Israel in Ethiopia - to roots, memory, scars and female strength. Leave details to receive first updates on the release of the book, pre-purchase, premium edition and launch events.
