I did not leap from one end of the world to the other— Author: Gouya Roshan

 

I did not leap from one end of the world to the other



I emigrated, but I paid the price with my entire being. Because the price of my migration was not merely boarding an airplane, flying for a few hours, getting a few stamps in my passport, and suddenly finding myself in another country. Perhaps that was for the best, because such a short distance could never have transformed me into the person I am today.
Therefore: I did not leap from one end of the world to the other.
I crossed borders that exist on no map.
I crossed the border of language; I had to express my feelings with words that had been foreign to me for years. I realized that silence is sometimes more eloquent than any language.
I crossed the border of beliefs—beliefs instilled by family, imposed by society, and exploited for political purposes. In doing so, I learned that no idea is sacred simply because it is old, and no idea is right simply because it is new. Every belief must be measured against truth, justice, and humanity.
I crossed the border of cultures. I sat beside people whose skin color, language, religion, and customs were different from mine, yet whose pain was the same as mine. I learned that tears need no translator, and smiles recognize no passport.
I crossed the border between poverty and wealth. I saw wealthy people who were among the poorest in the world because they could not find peace. I saw poor people who preserved their dignity with a piece of bread. There I learned that a person's worth is not determined by the balance of their bank account.
I crossed the border of politics. I saw how governments set people against one another for their own interests, and how ordinary people pay for the ambitions of the powerful with their lives, their homes, and their futures.
I also crossed the border of religion. Not to escape faith, but to seek the truth. I saw how God is sometimes used as an instrument of power, and how power is sometimes justified in the name of God. I learned that true faith must first be visible in a person's actions before it can be expressed in words.
But the hardest border I crossed was the border of pain.
The pain of distance.
The pain of loss.
The pain of new beginnings.
The pain of living in a place where you must rebuild yourself every single day.
These pains defy classification, yet they leave some of the deepest wounds upon humanity.
If someone asks me today where I am from, I may name a country; but the truth is that I come from thousands of experiences—from failures, hopes, injustices, friendships, betrayals, and moments that forced me to redefine myself.
The real journey is not about moving the body; it is about transforming one's perspective.
Some people may never have left their own city, yet they understand the world to a remarkable extent. Others travel to every continent, yet remain trapped in the same primitive prejudices.
I crossed borders, each of which shattered a part of me and created a new one.
If I have anything worth saying today, it is not because of the kilometers I have traveled, but because of the suffering I have endured, a suffering that taught me that being human is the greatest journey of life.

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