One life in One country

Reading an article of one of Russia's most famous current director, Aleksei Balabanov has got me thinking. This is a man that has created many movies, written many stories and won many hearts. He probably angered just as many as he won to be honest. And he talks about a concept of " Where you are born, there you are useful ". He is convinced that a man should live in his country, be amongst his people, speak his mother tongue. He speaks of migration as terrible problem, mentions people from Suriname coming to the Netherlands to live and settling there without being able to work, to do anything and live on the social support of the country. He talks of markets in Russia, where the produce isn't sold by little old Russian ladies but by immigrants from various places. You can feel his frustration and his overwhelming pride and unquestioned love for his country i.e Russia. And I ask myself, do I miss something? Am I lost without this certain identity that a country gives one? Having been living on a suitcase most of my life, I ask, what could have been different had I stayed in one place, been resident of one country regardless of which, would I dream of the fields, of the cityscapes, of the people, of the culture, the traditions? How much would it have mattered? Do we become nomads through circumstances or through the character that we possess and were born with? And I wonder, what is important for my children who share 5 passports between the 2 of them. What identity would they have? What does this phrase that I hear so often nowadays " Children or citizens of the world" mean? Is it just an excuse for the parents to move from place to place under this overused slogan and not feel guilty about dragging their kids from one environment to the next? Or does it stand true to the literal meaning, that every child or adult will feel at home wherever they go? Because that is what it says, that we would feel at home wherever we go. So in our sporadic moves and migrations, do we follow our hearts and instincts that were given to us at birth, or do we follow our heads and the endless search and quest for, be it knowledge or material wealth ? What do my children need from me, what do they need from the adults? And I am not talking about love , that is a given. When does a child flourish, live life, love life. I wonder. And I hope I shall not be mistaken in my decisions about their life now and in the years to come. I know what moving has done for me. Much of it is hugely positive. Yet there is always that one small issue of home. Where is home? Is a home a room that you had a child with all your things and memories stashed gently away? Not for me, as I have very little attachment if any for the material element, another side effect of continuous change in geographical location. Is home where your parents live? No as it is a house where I have never lived. Is home where I myself presently live now? It is within the four walls that we are in, but once outside, home disappears like a hidden secret not to be seen by anyone. I live with the total conviction that I will always move from where I presently am. That is probably the price I paid for all the wonderful adventures that have taken me around the world and brought me my closest people. Is it something that I wish for my children? I am not sure, not sure at all.