Brain drain. Better play at home or go away?

     Not long ago the individual belonging to a developed country was aware of one thing: to live in a society based on the idea of solidarity and assistance, a society that offers the opportunity of an economic rise equal or higher than that of their parents. Access to the labor market was less opposed than today, but equally challenging. We worked hard and came home tired but able to appreciate the little things of everyday life. Then something changed. It’s now past the dreamlike idea that believe in themselves and strive allowed to reach the targets aspired. Today to the young person who crosses the threshold of university output aren’t made promises or encouragement, but addresses him/her an invitation to be flexible and competitive. Must be able to constantly update and mature novel ideas, even if this suggestion fails to calculate the physiological human limitations. In addition, we are encouraged to move away, not exactly volunteer, from their land of origin.

     Why resign ourselves to the "brain drain"? Away from home, from our native town, from our affection/attachment, seeking personal affirmation, forgetting that what is at stake is our identity, tied precisely to the roots. Even the sport teaches us that a team playing at home is stronger. About the question of "youth exile" I’m dually deployed.

     On the one hand I agree with the likely ideas that, if acquired abroad and developed at homeland, will determine new opportunities of growth for the country. In this regard, I remember the story of Giovan Battista Pirelli: son of a printer, he got a scholarship to go to France for six months in Michelin, where he studied the evolution of the rubber. He came back with a bag of notes about rubber industry and in 1872, with the help of bank investments, rose Pirelli industry.

     On the other hand, I urge readers to struggle ceaselessly to realize what has really worth for them. Believe in yourself, be bold, courageous, do not give never defeated. Make sure that the observation is not reduced to resignation, but feed your critical mind. Confront you with interlocutors who have many readings, qualifications and living and working experiences, and you will find, over time, that something makes you unassailable: your unyielding determination. 

     Source: "La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno", an italian newspaper, December 30, 2010, p. 42.