I’M EMIGRATING
It was around 7p.m. Me and my friend were having a glass of lassi at a local milk shop. I asked my friend, “So what’s new?” He replied, “You really want to know!, My immigration visa has arrived and I’ll be leaving for Canada by the end of next month.” In my head I said, here’s another one, leaving this country for ‘greener pastures’. He’s not the only one.
Many families I know have left too and the reason they give is simple; there’s nothing here. Consult any newspaper and you’ll see the familiar headlines: militants blew up so and so place, the economy is in a mess, a general breakdown in law and order. Yes, it’s not a pretty picture but here’s a question: why would you want to leave your homeland, the place where you’ve lived the better part of your life. There are ‘green pastures’ here too. Our country has been blessed with enormous untapped resources. So then what’s missing? The answer: we need leaders and entrepreneurs to till the ‘green pastures’. It means helping grow and develop these resources so that they benefit everyone. We need leaders and entrepreneurs. It means to be patriotic not by just saying it but by showing it in letter and spirit. To stand by your country when it’s in trouble, to face each and every challenge and danger with a headstrong determination and not lose or give up hope.
The same countries where we wish we could emigrate to, have been through the same process. Years of development and love for their land have led them to stand with their heads held high. So for our emigrants, yes you do have the right to opt for a better life, but that would be a selfish thing to do just when your country needs you the most. Leaving your homeland is not the answer. Moreover, many pundits believe that the economic power of the world is shifting from the West to the East. So think again before you leave.
