Who doesn't hear must feel
Maybe now you'll listen
Looking beyond familiar borders
The old Caribbean saying "who doesn't hear must feel" has been echoing in my mind lately. It's wisdom is simple yet profound - that those who ignore warnings will eventually experience the consequences firsthand.
This saying has become my personal mantra since deciding with my family to leave the United States for the slower rhythms of Central American living in Panama. For years, we watched as political divisions deepened, living costs skyrocketed, and the American Dream seemed to recede further into myth rather than manifest as reality. After the American mid-term elections in 2022, we started planning a potential move - researching and visiting other countries to see if they could fit our young family.
It's not just a physical relocation, but a philosophical one.
To be clear, we weren't looking to escape - I prefer to think of it as responding to the canary in the proverbial coal mine. The erosion of democratic norms that once seemed theoretical has increasingly manifested in tangible ways. The growing acceptance of political violence, the undermining of electoral systems, the weaponization of courts and governmental institutions, and the vilification of the free press - these weren't just abstract concerns but warning signs of what history teaches us about democracies in decline.
And of course, absolutely nowhere is perfect. Communities across the world are struggling with their own internal issues - widening economic inequality, healthcare, education, climate change, and their own versions of the migration dance. Coming from the US, though, what struck us most profoundly was witnessing how the global realignment of power is playing out in real-time beyond America's borders. While the US remains caught in seemingly endless culture wars, other nations are quietly building new coalitions, forging economic partnerships, and reimagining what inclusive societies can look like. Abroad, women's leadership is normalized in ways that still feel revolutionary back home. Gun violence in schools and grocery stores and public venues has not been normalized and… accepted.
Traveling abroad with an eye on moving abroad opens up conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion that transcend racial, ethnic, gender, and religious boundaries. While historical trauma exists everywhere, experiencing different cultural contexts reveals how other societies address racial equity through forward-looking models of representation and belonging, rather than solely through the lens of historical pain. In many places, communities are building inclusive frameworks that acknowledge the past while actively creating spaces where being Black or Brown (or any kind of different from the majority population) doesn't carry the same shadow of physical violence or levels of systemic barriers.
The transition isn't without challenges. Bureaucratic hurdles, unexpected costs, cultural adjustments, missing friends and neighbors, and, yes, occasional homesickness. But what we've gained is immeasurable: perspective, peace, and a profound sense that we are actively participating in life on a more global scale.
If nothing else, get your documents ready.
For those considering a similar journey - whether to the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, or elsewhere beyond familiar borders - know that the world is wider and more welcoming than you might imagine. In many places, the movements for women's rights, racial justice, and genuinely inclusive democracy are advancing in ways that offer valuable lessons about what's possible.
My best advice at this moment in time is that if you don't already have a valid passport, now's the time to get one. The hardest step is the first one. But once it's done, the world becomes your oyster. History shows that when societies begin systematically dismantling democratic guardrails, the window for easy departure can close surprisingly quickly. Not to be alarmist, but having a plan B isn't paranoia - it's pragmatism.
"Who doesn't hear must feel" reminds us that sometimes we need to experience something different to understand what we've been missing. We heard the call for change and felt brave enough to answer it. Now, we feel the rewards of that courage daily.
The rest, as they say on this side of the water, soon come.