When a Changing Livelihood Challenges Identity

“People do not always leave because they have stopped loving home. Sometimes home no longer supports the life they need.”

Mamadou learned to fish beside his father on the Senegalese coast. Fishing provided more than an income. The sea held his family history, his skills, and his sense of identity.

Over time, however, the catches became less reliable. Expenses rose, and providing for his family became increasingly difficult.

When a friend offered him work in Dakar, Mamadou resisted.

“I am a fisherman,” he said. “What will I become in the city?”

Eventually, financial pressure made the decision for him.

In Dakar, Mamadou became a delivery rider. He learned new roads and found another way to earn a living, but part of him remained by the sea. His family stayed behind while he shared a crowded room in the city and sent home whatever money he could.

His struggle went deeper than changing jobs. Mamadou was grieving an identity.

When Livelihood Changes, Identity Changes Too

Economic change is often discussed through numbers: incomes fall, expenses rise, jobs disappear, and families relocate.

Behind those figures are people whose work forms an important part of who they are.

For Mamadou, fishing connected him to his father, his community, and generations of knowledge. When it could no longer provide enough for his family, he did not simply lose a dependable income. He began questioning what his future would look like.

Economic and environmental pressures do not always force families away from their livelihoods through one dramatic event. Sometimes conditions change gradually until staying is no longer sustainable.

These transitions can deeply affect mental wellbeing. A person may grieve work they once loved, feel ashamed about starting again, or fear losing skills passed down through generations. They may also worry about what their children will inherit.

For Mamadou, these emotions began affecting his marriage. His wife interpreted his silence as emotional distance, while he heard her questions as criticism.

Everything began to change when he finally explained his fear.

“I am afraid that the children will know the sea only through my stories.”

From Survival to a Plan

Mamadou and his wife stopped reacting to one emergency after another and began planning for the future.

He joined a savings group, explored opportunities in fish distribution, and established a regular schedule for visiting his family. During those visits, he started teaching his son what he knew about fishing.

His son did not have to become a fisherman. That was not the goal. Mamadou wanted his knowledge to remain worth passing on without forcing the next generation to live exactly as he had.

This distinction matters.

Change does not require you to erase your past. You may need a new profession without treating your former skills as worthless. You may relocate without rejecting where you came from. You may choose a different future while continuing to honor the people who taught you.

Supporting People Through Livelihood Change

When someone’s livelihood disappears or becomes unstable, simply telling them to adapt is not enough.

People need practical alternatives, reliable information, training, and access to capital. They also need space to acknowledge what they are losing.

If your family is facing a similar transition, talk about both sides of the problem. Discuss the financial pressures, but also speak about the fear. Plan for new opportunities while acknowledging the loss. Learn new skills without dismissing the value of what you already know.

Mamadou never returned to the exact life his father had lived. Instead, he found another way forward while carrying part of his father’s knowledge with him.

An empty net can represent more than missing fish. For a family, it may symbolize uncertainty about income, identity, tradition, and the future.

Moving forward does not always mean preserving life exactly as it was. Sometimes it means carrying your dignity, knowledge, and values into the life you now need to build.

Share Mamadou’s story with someone whose livelihood is changing.

By Dr. David Rex Orgen, Best-Selling Author and International Mental Health Expert