Migration is the movement from one place or situation to another.

Anything done at the right time and at the right moment is welcome – so is Migration.

It is truthful and rational if it is an OPTION, not an OBLIGATION.

Aspirations for dignity, safety and a better future make living beings Migrate to greener pastures. It is part of the communal fabric and a vital crossroad for human development and eventual expansion. It is not a problem but a neat progression — inevitable, critical and looked-for.

Something analogous is EXODUS – a state in which many people leave a place at the same time . . . Like the liberation of people from slavery in Israel in the thirteenth century BC.

New experiences, when encountered, bring forth the ultimate joy and happiness. The ecstasy comes from changing horizons and looking at a different sunrise. Migration should be accepted as a way of Life – part of nature.

Remember, there is no turning around to change the commencement, but you can start from where you are and change the culmination.

Is Migration all that easy? NO!…

Migration can be painful and emotionally challenging. It is not only the things that are left behind – we leave pieces of ourselves behind. The connection is with the people, the ambience, and anything materialistic or un-materialistic that has some role in our growth. Going back to school after thirty years, I rushed to my old classroom, the chemistry lab and believe me, I got the same aroma as if it was yesterday. A weird déjà vu seeped into my system when I touched the window of my old flat. The unfortunate part is that we can never be entirely at home again because a significant portion of what we have inside is not here but somewhere else. Is this the price we pay for loving people? Everything seems to be the same at home, but what we realise is precisely that one thing has changed – WE.

Migrating from this place was an option for my betterment, but a significant part of me was left behind and cried. Someone said, “There are far better things ahead than anything we leave behind.” But that’s an individual perception.

Sometimes there is considerable emotional baggage that hinders the process of Migration and can alter one’s mind and mood, changing the situation altogether. It took nearly seven years for me to acquire a green card and migrate to the United States of America way back in 1987. Parental affection, family commitment and my marital status restricted me from accepting U.S immigration. I have no regrets about that, but yes, emotional baggage changed my destiny – whether it was good or bad . . . Well, that’s a debatable issue.

The irony is that the people around you never try to appreciate your journey. They don’t need to, anyway . . . it’s for you, not for them, right? – The biggest dilemma is how long to wait for things to happen and the situation to change. Or, when should we feel ready for the journey? Sometimes people wait through Life for the right moment, and their voyage abruptly ends in the crematorium.

“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”

Ask me – I took the arduous road from Leh to Pangong Lake. The destination was so spectacular and enthralling that the pain and misery of the journey vamoosed the moment I stepped on the fiddly pebbles at the parapet of the turquoise waters. We do need to step out of our comfort zone to Migrate to better opportunities and breaks. Nurturing the positive attitude that there are better things ahead than being left behind allows us to step on the gas and take the adventure in full zeal and throttle.

Is Migration related only to a change in physical state?

NO!

A child migrates from the womb to the lights of the hovering world – migrating to adolescence and youth – the culmination of a destination — ‘old age’, that includes getting married, raising a family and slogging through career pursuits. Isn’t this also a migration?

The journey through the physical and worldly state, denouncing the pleasures and attaining spirituality to the Divine commune, is a Migration of a different level. The ‘Van Prastha’ or, more precisely, the “Sannyasa”. But the question is how many will accept this Migration and agree to accept the eventual divinity. Most people slog to sustain Life’s pleasures and cannot let go of the mundane craving for worldly pleasures.

Most significant of all is the Emotional Migration

the Migration from a relationship.

A relationship doesn’t guarantee a lifelong warranty.  The philosophy behind this Migration is overly elaborate and intricately woven. A senior consultant psychiatrist friend said – ‘Life of an emotional relationship is between seven to ten years. After this tenure, it starts to decay, and frequent grumbles and expectations swap warmth.’ Well, this may be controversial, and several heads will rise to question the genuineness of this version. Sure enough, this is a vital Migration problem, and we all face it at all stages of our lives. How a person deals with them is based on individual discernment and decision making.

Our everyday life journey reveals minor signs of inspiration that we start seeing and experiencing — helping us make big decisions . . . Migration journey is no different.

Remember — ‘You are more courageous than your trust, more formidable than you seem to be, cleverer than you contemplate and more prized and  adored than you know.’

“You don’t need to move to a new place to begin again; a new mindset is all  you need to start over.” BARB SCHMIDT.

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