Art by Dan Sekanwagi

Settlers - In Words

This image is a commentary on how socio-economic as well as socio-cultural influences impact us so much so that we want to be more like the "Joneses"; as in the proverbial “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”

It refers to the way we tend to look at other people’s lives and their accomplishments that we don't have in common, through rose colored lenses. It is derived from the idea of looking at a neighbor’s lawn and seeing it as better looking, healthier and overall greener than your own when in reality you are just overlooking anything negative about it and downplaying everything positive about your own.

In essence, this is a psychological disciplinary issue that needs to be addressed from within ourselves rather than, metaphorically, uprooting ourselves and "moving in with our neighbors"; only to find that we carried our baggage with us – and the cycle continues.

To quote my favorite sage once again,
"I pack my trunk, embrace my friends, embark on the sea, and at last wake up in Naples, and there beside me is the Stern Fact, the Sad Self, unrelenting, identical, that I fled from." Ralph Waldo Emerson

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