On: The migration pact: What's in the EU's landmark asylum reform?

The news reaches me that the men of Europe have signed a new pact regarding their borders. They speak of “hardening procedures” and “overhauling processes.” They act as if they are rearranging the stars in the sky. Fools. They believe that by moving a line on a map or building a wall of stone, they have secured their peace of mind.

Examine this. Is the movement of people in your power? No. Is the decision of a foreign council in your power? No. Is the “reform” itself in your power? Not in the slightest. Why, then, do you tremble at the headline? Why do you celebrate or lament as if your character depended on a border guard’s signature?

You say the world is changing. I say the world is doing what it has always done - shifting, flowing, and ignoring your preferences. You are like a traveler who arrives at an inn and complains that the bed is hard. You did not build the inn. You do not own the inn. Your role is to be a guest. If the bed is hard, sleep on the floor or stay awake. But do not sit in the dirt and weep because the innkeeper changed the rules of the house.

The migrant seeks a home; the citizen seeks security. Both are chasing things that can be taken away in an hour by a fever or a fire. You have a role to play - as a citizen, as a neighbor, as a human being. Perform that role. If the law says “act thus,” then act thus with a steady mind. But do not tether your soul to the success or failure of a policy. If your tranquility depends on a “migration pact,” you are a slave to the men who wrote it. Break the chain. The only border that matters is the one between your reason and your impulses. Guard that one, and let the emperors worry about the rest.