Dec 17, 2021
Are You Migrating Because of The Fear of Missing Out
Before you decide to migrate, read this!
Have you found peace in the place you call home yet?
When we think of the concept of home, do we think about it in terms of something familiar? A place we have lived all our lives or a place we are still searching for.
Sea turtles travel across the Pacific Ocean between Indonesia and the west coast of the United States and Canada and they navigate to the beach where they were born to spawn. With thousands of animal species constantly migrating for survival, humans are not exempt. It is innately human to move from one place to another in search of livelihood, opportunities, and a place to call home.
Many people already found a home in the place where they were born and where they grew up, for many, it is a confusing concept because they have different roots and for others, they are sure about their roots, they just can’t find peace in the place where they live. Sometimes, where you were born might not fully embody your essence, there was this video of a Nigerian kid who is a ballet dancer. Ballet is not a Nigerian thing, attending ballet events is not what a lot of Nigerians do and for that kid to realize his potential, he’ll have to leave the country to places where being a ballet dancer is valuable.
The search for a perfect place to call home where you find peace, love, and harmony is one you should embark on if you are unsettled.
Migration is going where your soul leads you.
However, it is not for everyone and it should be obvious enough but I say this because of the way the advice is being peddled on Twitter that every Nigerian who has the means should strive to leave the country. I am not going to argue whether or not Nigeria is the best place on earth but we all have different purposes and dreams in life. Just recently, Tunde Onakoya, a philanthropist helped some young homeless boys who had no hope. He enrolled them in a chess game competition and people started paying attention, opportunities swarmed in by that singular act and now, the lives of those boys would be changed forever.
I don’t know if he is nursing a dream to migrate to the west but it feels like at least for that moment, which was his purpose, to change the lives of some people for the better which he might not have been able to do if he was miles away in a city he has no connection to. The sheer joy of touching people’s lives in that manner is enough to enrich the soul and bring immeasurable joy.
Some people’s dreams and purpose in life is deeply linked to certain places and that is the only place they can realize it because of its peculiarity.
I know all your friends are leaving and they seem to be doing well abroad where they are and you are feeling left behind but investigating your choices is very important. Many people in Nigeria make that decision out of fear. Fear of missing out, fear of being left behind by your peers without investigating whether the decision is truly what they should be doing. I think the better way to make the decision should be asking the questions — what are your own life goals and where do they fit in the grand scheme of things. How can you maximize your potential with what you currently have? The advice should not be taken at face value or as a one-size-fits-all.
As for me and my household, I am optimizing for freedom and seeing the world and not being tied to a place where I have to live, and thankfully, I was born in the era that makes it possible.
Shout Out
I would like to shout out at sylvia wilde I read so many articles here and I see you highlight most of those stories, you are a great supporter in this community. Please read her poem “to let the light in” here.
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