It fascinates me sometimes how I see people refer to the countries of their birth as though it was some sort of achievement they had a hand in. I see people refer to others as not having been “born here” therefore they have fewer rights than me or are lesser than me in some way.

Growing up as a little kid I remember how the virtues of humility and mutual respect were drilled into me and how I was taught through various parables and tales that life could change at any time and just because you are on top now doesn’t mean you will be on top forever. Just because you are comfortable and have everything you need doesn’t mean your circumstances can’t change for the worse in the blink of an eye.

When I look at the situation around the world today (specifically in the UK), it saddens me to see a growing air of arrogance among some people in developed countries who don’t appreciate the philosophies around the changing circumstances of life. Because one is born in a first world country or to a well-off family, is not in itself a personal achievement. Accidents at birth are being treated like some sort of university degree and thus, the mutual respect that ought to be demonstrated between human beings is being lost. Eroded from the cultural psyche. This should be an attitude from a bygone era and I think it’s time for us as a human race to make advancements from this sort of position. Such ways of thinking remind me of the character of Theon Greyjoy in the TV show Game of Thrones when he would play the “my father” card. It should no longer be about “your father”, it should be about you and what you bring to the table in your own right.

On a macro level this lack of humility has led to a lot of short-termism, by politicians and citizens alike and hence a forgetfulness that things were not always this rosy – even though some might not think it – and there was a time when things were really, really different. Going far back we’ve had the various empires that ruled the “world” at different points in history. But let’s not go too far back. Let’s start from the state of the world since the end of the 2^nd World War.

Europe was in a very bad way and the various countries within it were poor and broke and there was food rationing going on. If not for the colonial reach that some countries had the situation might have been even far worse. Like feuding families marrying their children, for the sake of peace in Europe and mutual progress France and Germany announced through the then French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, a plan to work together on coal production and called on other countries to join them – this is how the EU began. This would have the effect of tying the economic futures of the European countries together and minimise the possibility of war breaking out again in Europe. Noble idea, wasn’t it?

The UK’s first application to join the block (yes, we needed them more than they needed us at the time) was rejected! Vetoed by Charles de Gaulle because he saw it as a threat to France’s position on the world stage. Anyway, the UK eventually joined, built up its economy and has now forgotten that there was a time when things were really difficult and it needed help from its European neighbours. Now the drawbridge is being pulled up, primarily by the baby boomers who benefitted from the early days of cooperation within Europe and the sad thing is that most of them won’t be here to see the devastation I believe their action will have for the future generations.

Circumstances change all the time and humility is important if you want to progress in this world (just ask Jose Mourinho). A lack of humility makes life in the future so much more difficult because people remember. They remember what you did and what you said when the boot was on the other foot.

Just because we weren’t born in Eritrea or the Yemen doesn’t mean we are some sort of geniuses. We are just lucky and we must always remember that. Because we are not unfortunate to be fleeing a war zone doesn’t mean it can never happen in the comfortable West. After all there was a time not that long ago when that was the case in the UK and people were bombed out of their homes here. Un-exploded WWII bombs are still being discovered to this day!

Anybody can be a refugee and if we don’t remember that then we fail in our humanity. Yes it’s not always easy to share our comfortable lifestyles. We don’t want those “filthy foreigners” encroaching on our space, even though the government is happy to collect their taxes while at the same time cutting down on the provision of services and social amenities…

So in conclusion, I think it’s important that we always remember to be humble and empathetic. Let’s remember that things can change at any time. Let’s remember that because we are fortunate to be born or live in comfortable circumstances, it has a great deal to do with luck rather than brilliance. When you find yourself in favourable circumstances you should think genuinely of how to make the world better and increase the chances of more lucky people coming through after you.

I will opine on some of the causes of people migrating to the West particularly from Africa, and what I feel are some of the solutions to this in another blog soon.