Monday, February 6, 2017

Musings on Immigration, Migrant Crisis, Travel Ban, Refugees Welcome Policy, Hospitality etc

While watching TV news showing the twists and turns on the US Travel Ban – I remembered a story I had posted a few years ago during the European Migrant Crisis due to their Refugees Welcome policy. 

Dear Reader:

Do read the article and tell me: Isn’t the story relevant even today...?

Do You Want to become a “Guest” in your own “Home”...?

Whenever I see news on the European Migrant Crisis – I feel that Europe is a most magnanimous place  and Europeans are the most compassionate people.

No other country would warmly welcome illegal migrants, refugees and asylum seekers as European Nations are doing.

Because of this generosity of European people – refugees prefer to take the hazardous journey by land and sea all the way to Europe – rather than seek temporary refuge in their neighbouring countries.

Normally – displaced persons will take shelter in close proximity in a neighbouring country so that they can return back to their homes once the crisis is over.

But – in the present European Refugee Crisis – refugees from different continents are travelling long distances to reach Western Europe.

The main reason why these refugees are going all the way to Europe (rather than neighbouring countries) is because most of these refugees have no intention of returning back to their own countries once the conflict is over.

For obvious economic reasons  these refugees want to permanently settle down in Europe.

However – it must be remembered that allowing unabated immigration has ramifications – both in the short term – and more so in the long term. 

Surprisingly – Europe does not seem to be concerned about the demographic, social, cultural and security ramifications of encouraging illegal immigration owing to which refugees are being attracted towards Europe. 

And now – the protests against to the US Travel Ban shows that even Americans want to follow a “Immigrants Welcome policy.

The magnanimous hospitality extended by Europe to illegal immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees and the American Citizens protest against the Travel Ban reminds me of this famous teaching story I had posted a few years ago in my blog.

DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A GUEST IN YOUR OWN HOME...?
A Fable – and Musings  on “Hospitality”
By
VIKRAM KARVE

When I was a small boy  someone told me a fable.

It was an apocryphal teaching story of a Trader and his Camel.

I remember this insightful fable even today.

Whenever I feel overly magnanimous  generous and benevolent  I tell myself this story  and I try to apply the “moral of the story” in my life whenever the need arises.

Are you a magnanimous, benevolent, humanitarian and hospitable person...?

Then  you too need to read the story of a Trader and his Camel.


THE STORY OF THE TRADER AND HIS CAMEL

It was a cold winter night.

The Trader was resting in his tent.

He had tied his Camel outside.

Suddenly  his Camel peeped inside the tent.

“What is it...?” the Trader asked his Camel.

“Respected Master  it is very cold outside. Please allow me to put my head inside your tent...” the Camel said to the Trader.

The kind Trader took pity on the poor animal.

S he agreed to the Camel’s request.

“Okay  you can put your head inside the tent...” the Trader said to his Camel.

The Camel put his Head inside the Tent.

A little later  the Camel asked the Trader: 

“Respected Master  my neck feels very cold. Please let me put my neck inside your tent as well.”

Once again  the magnanimous Trader allowed the Camel to do so. 

So the Camel put his Neck inside the Tent.

A few minutes later  the Camel asked if he could put his forelegs inside the tent.

Once again  the compassionate Trader agreed. 

So – the Camel put his Forelegs inside the Tent.

Then  the Camel wanted to put his chest inside the tent – and again  the kind-hearted Trader agreed.

So – the Camel put his Chest inside the Tent

Then – taking advantage of his master’s kind nature – the Camel kept asking to put his back and then his hump inside the tent.

The Trader agreed to all this. 

So – the Camel put his Back and Hump inside the Tent

This went on and on.

The Camel kept asking to put parts of his body inside the tent.

And  his compassionate Master  the kind Trader  he agreed to all the Camel’s requests.

Soon  the entire Camel was completely inside the Tent.

Now  the Tent was too small for both the Trader and the Camel.

They both struggled to remain inside the overcrowded tent.

There was a scuffle  and  the much stronger and bigger Camel pushed the Trader out of the Tent

Yes  the Trader was pushed out of his own tent by his Camel.

The ungrateful Camel pushed out his kind-hearted Master out of the Tent. 

So ultimately – the Camel slept comfortably in the warm Tent  while the Trader shivered outside in the freezing cold.


MORAL OF THE STORY

You should be careful before you extend your hospitality  lest your guests take undue advantage of your magnanimity and generosity.

This fable teaches us lessons at both the macro and micro levels.


MACRO LEVEL MORAL  The Problem of REFUGEES, ASYLUM-SEEKERS, IMMIGRANTS and SETTLERS

Let us see a “macro level paradigm” ramification.

Suppose there is a war ravaged or strife torn country  where there is so much violence that the life of citizens is in danger.

As a humanitarian gesture  a benevolent neighbouring country may open its borders to allow refugees to come in and live in safety.

Some other countries may also allow immigration of foreigners as a gesture of goodwill.

In other cases  illegal immigrants may enter another country and settle down there.

The “host” country may be charitable to allow them to stay on – and they may not deport them back to their original country. 

Many “magnanimous” countries have such “guests”.

Gradually  the number of these “guests” becomes substantial enough to cause demographic change.

Now  like the “Camel” in the story  the “guests” may soon throw out the “host” from his own “tent”.

Even if they don’t evict the “host” out of his own “tent”  these “guests” may make life uncomfortable for the “host” in his own “tent” – just like the Camel did to the benevolent, humanitarian and kind-hearted Trader during the fable  before finally pushing him out of the tent.

Refugees, asylum seekers and migrants  legal and illegal  may take undue advantage of their host country and the liberal benevolence and humanitarianism of the original inhabitants. 

Soon  these alien immigrants may start dominating the original inhabitants.

In some cases – assertive immigrants my try to impose their radical culture on their liberal hosts – and – some fanatical immigrants even jeopardise the safety and security of their host nation.

And sometimes  like the camel in the story  these immigrants may even succeed in evicting the original inhabitants from their homeland. 

History shows many such examples which have happened all over the world where illegal immigrants have started dominating and imposing their will on the original inhabitants.


MICRO LEVEL MORAL  “Guests” who overstay their welcome

At a micro level  this can happen in your own home.

I have seen so many “guests” who overstay their welcome  and so many guests who take undue advantage of the magnanimity of their “hosts”.

Let me narrate a few apocryphal examples.


THE BENEVOLENT HOUSE OWNER AND THE UNGRATEFUL TENANT

I have seen a case where a benevolent large-hearted person rented out his new locked-up house to a friend who was in dire need of accommodation.

The owner, an Army officer, was in a transferable job  and he served all over India  while his friend stayed as a tenant in his house.

Many years later  when the house owner retired from the Army – and he wanted to settle in his own house.

But  the ungrateful tenant refused to vacate the house  and – the hapless Army Officer  the house-owner – he could not stay in his own house – and – he had to live on rent in another house.


CUCKOO  STEALING AFFECTIONS  THE MARRIAGE BREAKER “GUEST

I have heard a story  maybe apocryphal  about a guest stealing the affections of her host’s husband.

A compassionate caring kind-hearted woman invited a cousin sister to live with her in her home in the city  since her newly arrived cousin sister was finding it difficult to find a suitable accommodation in the city where she had found her first job.

The scheming cousin sister responded by seducing and stealing the woman’s husband.

Finally  the wily cousin sister settled down with the woman’s husband  and the hapless kind-hearted woman was turned out of her own house.

Yes  like in the Trader and Camel story  the woman was turned out of her own house by her “guest”  her own cousin sister. 

Her home and her husband was stolen by the “guest  her own cousin sister – to whom she had been so magnanimous and hospitable.


LESSONS TO BE LEARNT

This fable has a lesson to all of us that you must not be too magnanimous, benevolent and over-generous in extending your hospitality. 

Humanitarianism has its limits – both at the macro and micro levels.

Be careful  otherwise there is a danger that you may become a “guest” in your own “home”.

The “guest” may endanger your security – and worse – the “guest” may even drive you out of your own home.

So before you extend your hospitality to anyone  remember the story of the Trader and the Camel. 

And – at the macro level – liberal nations should think twice before they say: “Refugees Welcome”. 

Dear Reader – Do you agree...?

VIKRAM KARVE
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2. All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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