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Why we do this

Photo of Scott in Scotland Hello all, and thanks so very much for taking the time to visit our website.

I hope you will also take the very next opportunity you have to visit the SCOTTISH AMERICAN CENTER in person - there's simply no substitute for seeing things directly and making a personal connection with others who share your interest in Scottish, Scots-Irish, and Scottish American heritage, history, culture, travel, and more.

There is more here for you to investigate and enjoy than we can effectively represent on our website.  Since February 2007, things have changed and improved every week that's passed.  So stop in, look around, have some conversation, comaraderie, and a cup of coffee.  We're here for You !

On our "What we do here" page, we explain a bit about our functions.  But those statements don't explain why we think it matters to have a Scottish American Center in the first place, or why it might matter to you ... which I know it will.  So let me give you my spin on that, OK?

First, I'll say that experiencing a real connection to heritage is kind of a "Zen thing" - I can tell you all about what it means to me and the others I've heard speak about it - but in the end, you will just have to experience it yourself to really understand what it will mean to you, to find out what effect it will have on your life.  That having been said, of course you know I intend to try to give you some sense of it on this webpage, or this message wouldn't be here.  So let's have at it, shall we?

I've been asked this: "We're Americans now, some of us for many generations.  Why should the heritage of another nation matter to us or anyone else?"

Answer: A nation is a just piece of dirt surrounded by ideas.  Regardless of how wonderful that piece of dirt is, you won't have heritage from it.  It's the people who lived on that piece of dirt and generated those ideas from whom you have heritage.  And you have that heritage from those people - not the dirt they lived upon - no matter where you live today or where you live tomorrow.  And if your ancestors were still here to tell you, I'll bet they'd say that it mattered to them that you care and not forget about it.  I also bet that if you check into it, you WILL care and not forget about it.

I've seen the connection to this heritage have a profound effect on some individuals, literally turning their lives around.  In it, they have found a real and positive perspective on life and the world, a sense of continuity of things and people that matter through the ages, a spiritual connection to ancestors recent and not so recent - and often - even greatly enhanced self-esteem.  (Though it has been quite accurately observed that some of us with Scot's blood already have an unnecessary excess of that.)  I've seen people grow into this heritage to acquire courage, honor, and character.  I've also seen them become far more educated.  When there's something you decide you really want to learn, you learn how to learn, and you become more self-directed and motivated.  As you learn, you find out there's more you don't know ... and you start to want to know it.  And so it begins, but does not end.

There is also the opportunity for profound CONNECTION.  Not only to those in the past, but to those in the now - right here in Minnesota and all over the world.  This is one of the greatest gifts of your Scottish heritage.  You are welcome and cared about - not only here, but in the places all over the globe where the Scots seeded themselves so mightily.  There is a very long memory of our connections among our people, and a tradition of belonging.  There is a COMMUNITY that awaits the seekers and welcomes them home as they discover who they are.  When I first stumbled upon all this, I made literally hundreds of instant friends here in Minnesota, and within a few short years made real connections with folks from all over the country and from Scotland, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand as well.  It is nothing short of stunning when I stop to consider it.  How else would this ever have happened?  There is so much would I have missed out on.  And the depth and richness of it grows every day.

As part of the learning part of heritage, you grow a real appreciation for history, too.  When it belongs to you in some way, all of a sudden history isn't so "dry" anymore.  The history and heritage is of YOUR PEOPLE, and by extension, of YOU!  It's no longer just a bunch of meaningless names and dates to memorize.  Eventually, the stories have the power to touch you, and you want to know more.  You begin to feel for your ancestors, and start to appreciate what it took to survive to eventually result in you.  By extension, you appreciate more of what you have today.  Fiction has nothing on this stuff.  Real history is so full of incredible plot, excitement, passion and pathos, that you may find that you rarely look for entertainment elsewhere once you get hooked.

Are you of a patriotic nature or enjoy American history?  The history of the USA, and it's neighbor, Canada, is very much built of Scottish stuff.  The influence of the Scots, Scots-Irish, their descendents, and their philosophies, represent one of the great hidden stories of North America's past and present.  So much of everything we take for granted today was created or touched by it, and very few seem to know even the basics of what is meant by that.  Fascinating stuff, like a good mystery that reveals itself only with focus and attention.  But the story is there, and it's a shockingly big one that will change the way you see America.

Another point - We've all heard the saying: "Those that do not learn history are doomed to repeat it".  Good saying.  Here's another: Learn to care about and respect your own heritage, and you will understand why others care about and respect theirs.  If that attitude were widespread, wouldn't our world be something very different?

Think that's all I've got to say on the matter of this heritage?  You've got to be kidding.  Come find out more.

Small wonder that establishing a Scottish American Center seemed like a good idea, eh?  Give yourself one of the greatest gifts you will ever receive; take advantage of this new gateway to Scottish heritage, to learning, to a welcoming community, to an opportunity to time-travel, to the beginning of a fantastic journey that can continue as long as you do.  See you soon?  I certainly hope so ................... Scott

J. Scott McKechnie, DVM, FSA Scot, Executive Director, SCOTTISH AMERICAN CENTER