That what we hate most in others is often what is most distasteful in us, is a fact of psychology.
This fact can offer some valuable lessons for us while engaging ourselves in the whole debate of immigration and migrants. Very often those who strongly denounce and protest migrants entering one's own space, are themselves migrants. Those who actually are of the place, from time immemorial have a more considerate and welcoming attitude. Read the following insightful post titled 'Taking a chance on each other' by Maria K. on her blog Simple Moodlings.
The Americans who today claim the land as their own were once upon a time themselves migrants from other parts of the world in search of a living. The actual natives, the Red Indians, hardly get to say anything. The paradox is that when denouncing migrants and chasing out the immigrants, people conveniently forget that they too were once immigrants. The same is true of/in Australia and Europe.
What most people forget is that given a choice, most people would like to get back to their own country, their own place. Like someone recently stated, 'The journey of every immigrant is always the same: back home'. No one wants to leave the warmth of his own home unless it becomes too unbearable, inhospitable. Only when survival itself is threatened does a person uproot himself or herself. Imagine showing such a person, the affluence of his neighbour... Naturally anyone would want to share in that 'luxury', but what he or she is actually craving for is dignified living.
History repeats itself, but our learning from history rarely does - even if it does, it is too slow!
This fact can offer some valuable lessons for us while engaging ourselves in the whole debate of immigration and migrants. Very often those who strongly denounce and protest migrants entering one's own space, are themselves migrants. Those who actually are of the place, from time immemorial have a more considerate and welcoming attitude. Read the following insightful post titled 'Taking a chance on each other' by Maria K. on her blog Simple Moodlings.
The Americans who today claim the land as their own were once upon a time themselves migrants from other parts of the world in search of a living. The actual natives, the Red Indians, hardly get to say anything. The paradox is that when denouncing migrants and chasing out the immigrants, people conveniently forget that they too were once immigrants. The same is true of/in Australia and Europe.
What most people forget is that given a choice, most people would like to get back to their own country, their own place. Like someone recently stated, 'The journey of every immigrant is always the same: back home'. No one wants to leave the warmth of his own home unless it becomes too unbearable, inhospitable. Only when survival itself is threatened does a person uproot himself or herself. Imagine showing such a person, the affluence of his neighbour... Naturally anyone would want to share in that 'luxury', but what he or she is actually craving for is dignified living.
