From 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari writes “Humans vote with their feet. In my travels around the world I have met numerous people in many countries who wish to emigrate to the USA, to Germany, to Canada or to Australia. I have met a few who want to move to China or Japan. But I am yet to meet a single person who dreams of emigrating to Russia.”
Humans voting with their feet is another way to say actions speak louder than words. The results of actions are more important than what people say. People in a country can be upset about immigration policy, but can they really be upset if the numbers don’t support their claims? Narratives are easily made and stick.
I see this when people talk about going back to the office to work. People throw around the idea that they enjoy the idea of having the option to go to an office. It may be true that people do enjoy having the option, but what are people doing with their feet?
I was on a call where someone asked if people were excited to go back to the office. This was right at the point where offices started to open back up and people had the option to go. Most people nodded and said they were excited about going back. The follow-up question was asked if anyone had gone in, but no one had yet. I feel like the return to office conversation fits perfectly into the topic of people footing with their feet. Someone will say one thing and then behave another way.
Peace and Love.