No one has to lose for someone to win.

I just watched a video of a US citizen looking to renounce her citizenship because she has not lived in the US for more than a decade. She has other citizenships.

In the comments, some people are saying she should renounce it, and something along the lines of “Many other immigrants are waiting in line, looking to take her place.”

I can’t help but think:

What is this mindset?

Why must someone lose for someone else to win?

That’s not how it works. A US citizen renouncing her citizenship isn’t going to free up an immigration quota somewhere.

You can’t swap citizenships.

A legal immigrant has to forge their own path through a temporary or permanent residency process, and apply for citizenship years later in their own right.

Whether or not a US citizen renounces or keeps her citizenship is of no relevance.

I also can’t help but draw a parallel:

The same goes for wealth and opportunities.

Everyone has to forge their own path.

Wanting someone to lose money won’t make anyone else wealthy.

Wealth is not a zero-sum game.

Wealth is infinite, not finite.

Regardless of how much someone else is making, it does not stop anyone from finding and creating their own opportunities.

No one has to lose for someone to win.