When a child is born, a part of their future has already been decided — not just in terms of traits like ethnicity, nationality, and caste, but also where those traits could later lead them in life. While it is true that your birth does not physically prevent you from pursuing certain goals, nor does it guarantee success; it still shapes your trajectory in ways most people rarely contemplate.
Take India’s caste system as an example, where being born into an “untouchable” community historically barred individuals from pursuing their ambitions, whatever they might be. The fundamental difference between someone born a Brahmin and someone born a Dalit lay entirely in the social standing of their parents. Is it really fair to be eternally constrained by circumstances that are impossible to change? The dreams of a child born to a poor family are no less valid or important than those of a child born to wealth.
A underprivileged child is no less motivated; so why is it that the child raised in wealth is far more likely to fulfill their aspirations? Someone raised in a financially stable household can focus on studies and career development without the weight of immediate survival. They do not need to work as street vendors from the age of ten, nor must they manage household duties to keep the family afloat. Conversely, children born into less fortunate circumstances carry far more than just their futures on their shoulders. Where a wealthy family can afford domestic support, a poor family cannot — leaving the domestic burden firmly on the shoulders of those least able to bear it.
Gender plays an equally decisive role, particularly in a society like Pakistan, where sons are often disproportionately valued. A son born after several daughters is frequently showered with parental affection and resources simply by virtue of his birth. The unwanted daughters often suffer while the long-awaited son receives the financial funding and family backing for higher education that his sisters so desperately wanted. Born to the identical household, their genders set them on completely divergent paths.
Does this mean it is impossible for someone from a developing nation, or someone who grew up without financial privilege, to achieve greatness? Absolutely not — thousands do so every day. However, the path to get there is steep and unnecessarily arduous. A middle-class Pakistani is no less capable than a middle-class American; yet, it requires exponentially more effort for the Pakistani to achieve what the American can access with relative ease.
Consider a common childhood dream: becoming an astronaut. Joining a space program is an incredible feat regardless of origin. Yet, for someone born in a developed nation with active space agencies and launch infrastructure, the pathway is defined and navigable. For someone born in a country with no space exploration program, that same dream requires overcoming monumental geopolitical and institutional barriers.
Even less ambitious endeavors — such as attending an international academic conference — become exponentially complicated when one holds a weak passport. How many qualified individuals from Pakistan, Syria, or Afghanistan have seen life-changing opportunities slip away solely due to visa rejections and passport restrictions? How many of them were far more qualified and educated than their Western or Singaporean counterparts who traveled without friction?
Nationality and ethnicity are assigned at birth, yet these arbitrary circumstances often dictate who holds the keys to a prosperous life. Is it truly a betrayal of one’s homeland to exchange a passport for a stronger one in pursuit of a better future? One’s heritage and heart remain unchanged, even as new doors — previously locked by the accident of birth — finally open.