We saw the new live-action How to Train Your Dragon not too long ago—me and my daughter. And then, naturally, she wanted to go back and watch the animated version too. Which is how I found myself once again getting choked up over a teenage Viking and his misunderstood dragon like it was the first time.
There’s this one scene that always gets me. Hiccup, skinny, underestimated, a little too smart for his own good, finally figures out how to ride Toothless. After all the trial, error, engineering, and near disasters with Toothless, he finally soars.
But what hits me isn’t just that he succeeds. It’s that what he’s doing—the bond he’s building with that dragon, the creativity, invention, observation, and exploration—is exactly what his village needs. It could make them stronger, safer, more resilient for generations. But the culture? The leadership? The fear? It’s all stacked against him. His people don’t just fail to embrace it—they fight it. Actively. They chain the very thing that could set them free.
And folks, I can’t help but see the same thing playing out in our country right now.
That’s immigration in the United States.
I started reading a book recently called The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers, by Wharton professor Zeke Hernandez. Hernandez immigrated to the United States himself and has spent nearly twenty years studying how newcomers affect the communities and countries where they settle. In the book, he digs deep into the question: Why does America thrive, while other countries often stall out?
His answer? Immigration. The constant inflow of new perspectives, experiences, voices. That’s what keeps us inventive. That’s what keeps us sharp. We don’t just tolerate difference—we’re powered by it.
And yet… here we are. Watching people push back. Not because immigration has failed us, but because fear and misinformation have sold a more convenient story, a false one.
We’re restraining the dragon, folks. Grounding the very thing that’s helped us fly.
Immigration isn’t a threat. It’s our secret weapon. It’s the reason this country didn’t just exist, but evolved and flourished. And if we keep rejecting what’s always made us strong, well, we’re not protecting the village. We’re stunting it.