Why are we here and not there ?

My father Geoffrey (extreme right) with my grandparents, Aruputhan Abisheganaden (grandfather) and the missionary Pastor who converted the family to Christianity 

                                                
                                                             My father's niche

Some 14 years ago, my then business partner and myself went on a business trip to Penang. That was in 1997 when the Asian economies were booming and we had never experienced a financial crisis on a regional scale for something like 15 years. Venturing to find some breakfast, we walked past some very run down shophouses where the owners were involved in some trading business selling car accessories. Nothing unusual except that the family occupying the shophouse was Chinese. Now, I am not insinuating any racial prejudices but since my partner was Chinese and I am half- Chinese, I had an
epiphany (awakening of the senses). I questioned aloud :

" Now why did our forefathers choose to come to Singapore, and not to Penang, or Batam or Jakarta ?"
 (most of the Singaporeans and Malaysians Indian and Chinese were from the mainland, and arrived in S.E.Asia some 100+ years ago or shorter and many were working as traders, coolees (labourers), seamstresses,  dockhands, clerks, peons (office boys) and other menial workers). Their descendents just over 100 years later, are enjoying the fruits of their decision to come to Singapore, many are bankers, doctors, businessmen, teachers, civil servants,lawyers, accountants, all professionals - all from very humble forefathers.  Strange to think that just 100 years down the road, the fortunes of the people
who were downtrodden on their luck in their home country, are doing well enough to invest sizeable fortunes and visit the mother country, where the descendents of the children of the emperors and other nobles reside. Sure China and India are emerging as economic superpowers but the opportunities for the overseas diaspora (people of similar ethnic origin) came much earlier, some 20 years in Singapore's case.
  
Was it pure luck, or a good decision or God's will that their decendents will be

a) flourishing and doing well (and investing in other countries like many Singapore and Malaysian coys)
b) struggling, due to ethnic strife or misfortune due to natural or man made disasters in that country

I thought again and said : " If my grandfather had not come and settled down in Singapore, but perhaps in Penang, I might be a rubbertapper, or running a murtabak stall, or a lawyer, or worse." I might have been working in the dingy shophouse in Penang and looking up at the suit and ties walking past them.  

Think about your own forefathers for a minute, are you here in your country because of them ? Or did some higher being like God set a plan for you ?