A Nation in Crises

By Samuel G. Obeng

In a crises-ridden society such as ours, politicians in leadership positions are mostly honest, but the disregard for truth and neglect of the needs of the citizenry create pain, anger, and apathy. Political inexpediency results in policies that hurt minorities and the poor and also leads to useless and ill-planned expensive wars that cost human life and emotional distress. Our political actors’ ill-conceived policies and ideologies often create chaos here at home and overseas and pitch different races and sociopolitical groups against each other. In recent times, lying, bullying, and reckless talk by political actors in leadership positions against each other and against journalists and political commentators have characterized our fight against pandemics and our overall health-care system, resulting in untold death and dying. Never in our country’s history have the two ideological poles—left-wing socialism and ultranationalist right-wing—taken a stranglehold on our polity, creating depravity, political corruption, and shameless sycophancy. Our actions have led to the creation of an emperor who kills dissent, disrespects women, mutes voices that dare reason, and induces cognitive and emotional tumultuous discordance in the minds of most citizens, including even the sycophantic chorus that sings to hail the emperor.

However, all is not lost. The United States’ exceptionalism projects inner strength that liberates the soul of the nation. Ordinary Americans have always found ways to come together, seek and found liberty, and prospered like no other nation. Patriotism, selflessness, and goodwill are deeply imbued in the fabric of our society such that no matter what the crisis is, we see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and therefore persevere.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781662411571

Book preview

Our Silent Night

The night spoke in silence.

Even the crickets did not chirp;

They gave up on words.

Owls and other nocturnal birds gave up singing on that fateful night.

The bats whose normal routine was to do the night flights

Stayed put for a family night.

That night was indeed a silent night!

Our silent night!

Creatures that crawl at night did not venture out of their burrows and nests.

Even our ancestral ghosts did not pay us a visit;

They all knew something was amiss.

Silence greeted the entire nation, making it a taboo for talking shoes to speak.

We all wore silence on our faces.

The writing on our faces spoke loud and clear.

That night was indeed a silent night!

Our silent night!

Voices that had the strength to speak

Could only whisper.

The terror denied us speech, making us dumbstruck.

Our livelihood had been