An inborn restlessness: Migration and exile in a turbulent world

Long ago, the Roman Stoic Philosopher Seneca wrote the following passage on the condition of exile in which he found himself: Look at this mass of people whom the buildings of huge Rome can scarcely hold. They have flocked together from their towns and colonies, in fact from the whole world, some brought by ambition, some by the obligation of public office, some by the duties of an envoy, some by self-indulgence seeking a place conveniently rich in vice, some by a love of liberal studies, some by the public shows; some have been attracted by friendship, some by their own energy which has found a wide field for displaying its qualities; some have come to sell their beauty, others their eloquence ask each where he comes from: you will see that most of them have left their own homes and come to a very great and beautiful city, but not their own. Then move away from this city, which in a way can be said to belong to all, and go around all the others: in every one a large proportion of the population is immigrant. ( Seneca, c. 5 BCAD 65 : 40). It is a beautiful description of migration, written almost exactly 2000 years ago, but no less relevant today. Seneca describes Rome but he could have been describing London, another city which conquered the known world, and as a consequence became known as the world in one city 2 where over 300 languages are spoken. 3 Or the New York Borough of Queens where almost half the population are foreign-born. Cities such as Sydney, Toronto, Frankfurt, and Auckland are today no less diverse.