Why do so many people say that the world is full of hate? Why say that everybody is antagonistic? Some are, undoubtedly, but the majority smile back when you smile. It doesn’t matter what nationality they are. My thought is that if you show contempt and hate, it comes back to you. If you show acceptance and friendliness, that too comes back. It isn’t exactly atom physics.
It is up to the individual, how they want to feel. Many people aren’t privileged, but they have courage. Otherwise, they’d never have made it this far. Some people, especially those who were forced to flee their country, are dirt poor, and that is downright wrong. No matter where they go, they need to be able to build an existence. It makes no sense to punish them for how life treated them. Every country has young and older people who don’t want to work. No doubt, some asylum seekers or immigrants have the same idea. Still, it is my conviction that most people would take any and every chance to get on, find a job and forge a life.
It isn’t easy to start over in a foreign country. I’ve learned that through experience. You are isolated, and it is hard to get a job that fits your skills and education. Only the ones who dare go out on a limp have a chance to make it. The rest invariably end up as social cases. This situation comes down to being between a rock and a hard place.
If the local people sneer at foreigners, it is no wonder if they sneer back. It is human nature.
There may not be such a thing as a just society, but it is up to those who have managed to get established to help and at least be friendly. Maybe this sounds like naivety and sobby do-gooding, but it is the simple truth.
Would it be better to deny access to people in need? Don’t think so. Enough people perish when they flee a country. Yes, even normal people sometimes flee normal countries. Their reasons are variable, but they are often compelled to leave.
Some seek a better life. Of course, they do. Why wouldn’t they? If the life they face at home is unbearable, if they can’t work or don’t have enough to eat, they must try other options. It would be unnatural to expect them to stay put and suffer.
How can I make myself clear? There are suffering people in every country and every society. Some have no way out if they remain where they are. Some long for adventure. Some must flee or die. Who can judge which reason is acceptable? Not every man on the street knows the suffering and frustrations immigrants have gone through. Maybe they need education. Not everybody wants to know. I appreciate that, but it is a poor solution to want them out. Where should they go?
The only right thing to do is to share what we have and make the best of it. Let us face this. We are all humans, and none of us asked to be born. We came into this life and have to make the best of it. Indeed, that gives us a reason, and a good one, to move around. It is downright wrong to say that people are unworthy on the grounds of skin colour or religion or whatever else they represent.
Why are we here at all? Nobody knows, but it seems that some of us feel entitled to decide if others deserve a decent life. Think about it. How can that be right? It is time to look things in the eye. The truth is that many people experience hunger, war, and socio-political trouble. They aren’t to blame. It is time that we start thinking about creating a just society. I rest my case.
© HMH 2023
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