Wanting a better life someplace else, migrants leave their mother/father countries and move to other places. Sometimes it is hope for safety and a better future for themselves and their children and other times, it is to ensure financial security for themselves. Whatever their aspirations, I am forced to think if the life of migrants is really as good as portrayed.
I know workers from South Eastern countries come to the Middle East trying to earn some extra money to send home to their families. Working from dawn to dusk, often in life-risking occupations, would their life have been better had they stayed on in their own countries and tried to continue on with their traditional occupations like farming or to have taken up jobs suited for their temperament and education or skill levels in their own country.
As an emigrant worker in another country myself, I have been pondering about these. What brought on these musings ? The earnings of people from low income countries in “richer” countries, is different from what their counterparts from other countries would make. I guess it comes back to work place bullying and discrimination in the workplace.
From first-hand experience I know that salaries in my own organization were fixed on different scales based on where we came from. And I am surprised to read that even recruits into various new organizations in the Middle East are stratified based on where they come from. Benefits, wages, packages are reported different based on place of origin. At airports, one is forced to stand in long queues to get an exit or entry into our country of work, based on where we come from.
In the end, is it all worth it ? There is really nothing that unifies the world. Not language( even English has different categories of users- Native speakers Vs ESLs or EFLs), not ethnicity( Mongoloids, Caucasians, African or anything else), not even religion ( Christians from different countries are differently treated within countries and even outside and perhaps other religions have similar stories to tell). Would it be better for people to remain where they were born and try to make that country livable rather than work in another country and hope that country will make their life livable ? I don’t know.
I mean, is there hope for humanity- can human kind ever be one or think like one ? Man can only run from place to place, but where can he find true equality or dignity or respect or love- is there really a safe haven anywhere on earth ?
Nice post on an issue worth pondering on!
You said it: ‘Would it be better for people to remain where they were born and try to make that country livable rather than work in another country and hope that country will make their life livable ?”
If salaries within an organization are fixed on different scales based on where a person comes from…well that’s something.
Overall, one has to ignore little things.
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I wonder really Alka- can thinking people ignore differences in work compensation between people in the same jobs ? At first, everything seems good but once we are settled in the job, and look around, we do see discrepancies but whereas, perhaps in countries where we have citizenship( and thank God for that) perhaps so much of discrimination in the workplace would not be obvious. Thank you for commenting and how have you been, my friend ? Any new poems ?
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I suppose every country and company has different rules and work culture. Yes, citizenship itself grants equal rights, even when normal ignorant public has varying moods as well as little personal discriminations that can never be completely avoided, be it any country or culture. .
I have been fine, I suppose so. How about you?
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I have heard this saying, “Bloom where you are planted.”. But considering what some people are facing/ suffering through I understand their leaving hoping for a better life.
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Debbie, you are so right- bloom where you are planted or if life gives you lemons, make lemonade but how can people in a war zone do anything positive with their lives- it would take a very active imagination to get ideas.
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I think it’ll happen one day. Not anywhere near our lifetimes, though.
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Reblogged this on Dream Big, Dream Often and commented:
Introducing Susieshy45!!
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Thank you Danny.
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No problem!!
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Nice bit of thinking and I learnt some facts that I did not know about. I guess that the closest we can all get to living in peace with each other is to be tolerant and respectful for each other, and never to loose a curiosity about other cultures and peoples and lands. It we are united in peace that is the best unity there is. An interesting post entry.
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Thank you so much- these days we hear so many debates about whether people should be allowed to migrate or be taken as refugees and I thought of the reasons people might have migrated or want to migrate ?
Why did some Irish or Italians migrate to the USA ?
Why did some Lebanese move to Australia or South America ?
Why do Nepalese /Indians/ Pakistanis/ Chinese migrate to the Middle East ?
Isn’t it hoping for a better life- financially, socially etc.., ?
And why do some people object to these migrations when they occur at times of conflict but do not object when they occur in peace times ?
Why the double standards then ?
Really does the earth belong to any of us ?
Do we have any right to block people’s movements just because we feel intimidated by them ?
A study of sociological and cultural patterns is warranted here, I fancy.
Thanks for commenting.
Susie
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Very true Susie, there have always been movements, huge movements of people all over the planet, if you look at history, so it is nothing new, and there is nothing wrong with it, and in fact we are all much more related than we could imagine I guess.
Kind regards, Agnes
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Yes I like to believe that we are all related too !
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Danny from dreambiddreamoften has reblogged this post per my request. Please visit his blog and read from this very kind writer.
http://dreambigdreamoften.co/2015/11/30/of-movements-migrations-and-equality/
Thanks Danny.
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