The science of demographics, which is a mathematical discipline, tells us that at a constant perimeter (excluding wars or natural disasters), the inhabitants of our beautiful Earth (approximately 6.5 billion human beings) will reach 9 billion souls by 2050. While our old Europe will remain stable with its approximately 400 million inhabitants, other continents will significantly increase their numbers, like Africa which will be populated by 2 billion humans compared to 900 million currently.
If we add different conditions for viable economic development to this, we can well imagine that it is not with policies that have the horizon of a week, or even an election, that we will be able to seriously confront and solve—if there is indeed a solution—the problem of migration, which is and will be of global scope.
Unless, armed with patience and with an unwavering faith in our capacity for survival, we wish to wait until the year 2100 when, according to demographers from the United Nations who have authored a forecast report, the Earth will move towards a sort of depopulation. The population will decrease to 5 billion inhabitants and will likely generate problems opposite to those of today.
By staying within a time frame where certain predictions can be verified by results, the issue of people migrating from one country to another needs to be addressed with all the seriousness that social sciences allow us. Without forgetting, of course, the human and moral considerations that our history and culture compel us not to forget.
For when we assert the origin and Judeo-Christian culture that is specific to Europe, we cannot forget what a certain Gospel declares: “we all come from somewhere and we are all going somewhere.”
Beyond the desires to steer some current events towards purely political objectives, some decision-makers could study a research report from a multidisciplinary group of researchers from the Sacred Heart Catholic University of Milan. It enlightens us on solutions to this issue (see our summary at the end of the article). The study remains attached to a particular country and specific cultures, but some points should be considered.
The latest news offers us the recent remarks of the Interior Minister who labeled those who criticize government policy as “left-wing billionaire do-gooders”… Well, being neither billionaires nor ideologically inclined, we can apply to the only category of “do-gooders.” Alas, in the face of little promptness, we believe that the act of thinking, reflecting, analyzing, understanding, and the whole array of human logic is a considerable advancement. Yet, addressing such complex issues leads to ineffective ideological solutions. As Friedrich Schiller (a famous thinker) so aptly put it: ‘Mitt der Dummheit Kampfen Gotter selbst (even the Gods cannot prevent stupidity).’
Therefore, in the face of the insight of certain political decision-makers, we are left to echo the words of Talleyrand, who knew so well the ‘power of human stupidity’: ‘Gentlemen, above all, not too much zeal.’
