Out of the Cradle . . .

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. . .To an Uncertain Future 

Please note: I started this before the tragedy that is the Israeli/Hamas terrorist mess in the middle east. I don't think it changes anything here and in fact might add more relevance. You can be the judge though.

A couple of recent articles in the paper regarding Biden’s plan to expand the border wall and the new surge in migrants (10/6 and 10/8 respectively) add more sadness to an already tragic but mostly ignored story. The wall may seem necessary, and perhaps it is, but in the end it will just be another thumb in the dike of a migrant flood. And it is a worldwide tragedy.


About 20,000 migrants have died since 2014 trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, many of them children. 


 Over 850 died just in 2022 trying to get to the US, again many of them children.

For me these news items are also particularly timely for another reason. I recently watched a documentary called “Out of the Cradle.” It was about how we humans evolved in Africa and then migrated literally around the world.  The similarities - and differences - between those early migrants and todays are striking.

If you stop and think about the courage and determination it took for early humans to leave the only home they had known for thousands of years and just start walking it is mind boggling. Imagine the first of our kind packing up the kids and heading north from the savanna of Africa. They had no idea what they would find or what they would do but curiosity or necessity drove them to seek a new life. Maybe they traveled a hundred miles, maybe a few hundred but then then they put down roots; most people didn’t live much past 30 so there wasn’t a lot of time to be traveling. Now imagine countless generations doing this over and over for the 50,000 years that experts say it took us to spread  all over the world. That’s bravery and persistence!



There are about 35 million refugees wandering around in the world today. (This doesn't count as many as 75 million others who are displaced or already migrated to other countries.)  Much like our distant relatives, todays migrants are looking for a better life. Or perhaps just a life safe from rampant crime or corrupt governments. Unlike their ancient ancestors who dealt with wild animals, deserts and mountains, today they must deal with (totally arbitrary) national borders and a modern world that neither trusts nor wants them.

It is not hard to envision large numbers of people on the move just in our country alone in the next 50-100 years. With hurricanes, flooding, drought and maybe even politics, a lot of people are going to be on the move here. Where are they going to move to? Who will buy their old homes? How will they pay for new ones? Will jobs follow? What about infrastructure like education and healthcare? Now multiply that by people all over the world – millions and millions - who will be on the move due to climate change and war. Where will they go?








We are - and will be - stuck with very difficult decisions. Will we condemn many of these people to death because we won’t allow them into our city, state or country? What will it take to solve this? Will we even try? 


I guess “we” is not quite the right word. A better word is "you." As with so many other problems, this old baby boomer will be leaving this one behind too as a “gift” for my children and grandchildren.

Sorry guys, good luck.


Music to ponder migrant life . . . 

A SAFE PLACE TO LAND   SARA BAREILLES JOHN LEGEND

REFUGEE   TOM PETTY


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