Grass is always greener on the other side of Earth through the telescopic eyes and mind of a greedy, restless man! Nevertheless, traveling to a new place isn’t just about moving suitcases and changing your address. Wish it was this simple though. Change is a significant part of any migration, and Man is intimidated by the very word, after all he is a creature of habits and who is programmed to stay comfortable only within the boundary of what he knows. But hunger for more takes over all his inhibitions and notions. Thus he embarks on a new journey called Migration dreaming about all that he can do and achieve in his new destination.
According to a survey by Gallup in 2012, there are around 640 million adults in the world who want to relocate permanently to another country, out of which 23% named the United States as their preferred destination and 7% voted for the United Kingdom. No wonder, about 12% of American population is foreign-born, with Mexicans leading the group with 31%, followed by Chinese, Indians and Filipinos who each make up about 5% of the total immigrant population. Although the influx of Hispanics into the United States has always outnumbered other immigrant groups, surprisingly the year 2010 had more Asian immigrants than Hispanics. This shift in immigration index reflects a great deal on reduction in illegal immigration and increase in demand for skilled workers. The other countries that people expressed desire to migrate were Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Germany and Spain.
Migration has always been known to exist throughout human history, though reasons why people move has changed significantly in the past few decades. In the olden days, migration was basically the result of an unpleasant situation which forced people to move. For instance, humans moved to stay away from wars and natural calamities, they moved as slaves, they moved to avoid diseases, and they moved to avoid conflict with the indigenous population so it was basically a matter of survival back then. Moreover, in those days, migration followed for-the-family and with-the-family model, so when a man decided to move, he would take along his entire kin. But as time progressed, greed took over survival and reasons started becoming more personal, revolving around ‘I’ more than ‘US’. In today’s times, people migrate to enhance career opportunities, to study in top ranked universities, to be with his or her partner of different ethnicity, and few vagabonds drift for a mere change in their environment. But no matter what the reason or which decade, the decision to move to another place is always difficult considering all the risks involved and the big responsibilities that’s ahead of you.
Migration has never been easy for anyone. You move but with a staggering feet and a weeping heart. But humans are restless and they are greedy. The temptation of a supposedly better life somewhere else persuades a man living a normal, happy life to heartlessly leave behind all that he knows – his every damn thing! Such is the power and greed of migration.
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