I wonder how many migrants read "Who Moved my Cheese?" by Dr Spencer Johnson.
The book is a very short story about change that takes place in a maze where 4 amusing characters look for "Cheese" -- cheese being a metaphor for what we want to have in life, whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, health, recognition, spiritual peace, or even just a better quality of life.
The Story
The story describes 4 mice running around in a maze and looking for cheese. They happen to come across a wonderful supply of cheese and live in close proximity to that source. When the cheese begins to run out, 2 of the 4 go off looking for more. They can tell that the cheese won’t be there for much longer and that it’s getting old and mouldy. So they adapt to the situation and forge ahead, ultimately finding more cheese. The 2 other mice, however, get too comfortable when they find the cheese and don’t believe it will ever disappear. When the cheese runs out, they stay put, waiting for more cheese to appear. They think everything will be fine. They didn’t smell the rotten cheese.
The cheese runs out and they begin to starve. They’re scared to move. They don’t adapt and resist change. Eventually, one of those 2 mice leaves and finds more cheese and brings the other one over the ‘good side’.
The Moral
The moral of the story is that we need to adapt to the changing circumstances around us and that our cheese (whatever it is) may not always be there and we need to recognize that the supply of "cheese" should not be taken for granted.
Immigration Context
We can tell from the number of the people finding our website and attending one of our free seminars that there are many people out there that recognize that the supply of cheese in their home country might be running low or else becoming decidedly "gamey".
It's easy to look back in history and wonder why certain populations didn't see the writing on the wall or recognize that the cheese might be diminishing. In the South African context this writing may take the form of increased violence, crime, lack of opportunities in workplace and education because of affirmative action programs, increased corruption, declining educational standards and general degeneration of the moral fabric of society.
In a Singaporean context the writing may take the form of long working hours, comparatively low wages, and too much pressure on children to achieve academically, high youth suicide rate, overpopulation, lack of recreational facilities and generally dissatisfaction with quality of life.
People resist change because let's face it change is difficult and stressful. This is never truer than in an immigration context when one is going to leave one's friends, family members and comfort zone and move to a new country to improve the quality of one's life.
I hope that I am not stretching the analogy too far but many may be thinking that the cheese supply might be diminishing but how do we know that by immigrating to Australia we are guaranteed a better cheese supply?
I'm not advocating that people should without any preparation or planning move countries at the slightest hint that there are concerning signs however I think every responsible individual owes it to themselves and their families to at least read the writing when it does appear on the wall and investigate opportunities to improve one's lot. One doesn't necessarily need to sever one's ties with one's home country at the slightest hint that there may be writing that appears on the wall but one should recognize that writing for what it is and investigate opportunities to improve one's life.
Attending our FREE australian immigration seminars and contacting us to arrage an immigration consultation for a nominal fee are just 2 small steps that one can take to investigate whether there might be more/better cheese in Australia.
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