The Greatness of America
by
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Born in a Revolution, prevailed in world wars, and endured in trying moments, America stands proud in an often-dangerous world because Americans have always risen to each new challenge and responded beyond human fears to every threat. Today, capitalism is globalizing the world with a relentless, brutal wind of change that tells the other nations to either “compete or collapse.” Americanization is simply change, which is as unavoidable as it is unwanted—at least by those who have something to lose from a free world. If there is a global culture, it is American culture. The entire world is becoming America, though not everybody on the face of the earth likes that trend. Millions from other lands seek to come to America to live, work, and benefit from its unlimited opportunities. People are willing to sell their grandmas’ souls to come to America--some in cargo ships. The America’s magnet is more powerful than Isaac Newton’s gravitational force, causing people to leave their familiar lives for the unknown in America. The pull of America is so great that the vast majority of the world’s population can’t think of a life without living in the United States. Most foreigners who are well-to-do in their home countries are willing to come to America to start life afresh as “nobody.” A musical star in Cameroon would rather come to America to be a dish room worker; a Nigerian trained lawyer would rather come to America to be a security guard; an Ethiopian certified bank manager would rather come to America to be a cashier; an Indian varsity professor would rather come to America to be a group home staffer—than remain in their various countries. A beautiful Pilipino lady would rather come to America to marry the poorest American than marry a cabinet minister based in their capital city, Manila. But, they depart their home countries without knowing what they are getting themselves into, that without proper visas they cannot dream the “American dreams.” Looking for the appropriate papers to stay and work in the U.S. is the beginning of the dream success or failure story. I’ve seen intelligent and rational people do the unthinkable over U. S. visas. The visa process is like going to war: you must have a strategy, you must be patient and at the same time be aggressive; and by all means there must be no paperwork error during the entire process. All supporting documents must be “clean and clear,” and submitted in a timely manner to the right address and with a proper fee. You cannot argue with the immigration guys even if the things they tell you are contradictory. Only God can help you from being asked to appeal their “Denied Decision” or resubmit your application with another “appropriate fee.” You weep when the officers reject your case because of adverse information on the application, lack of enough evidence, wrong application fee or address. You cry when they tell you "your papers are not in order" or “you will be investigated." You panic when your attorney, who has demanded $5000 from you, failed to show up at your immigration appointments. You feel like peeing when the modern science DNA test reveals the long kept secret that you are not the biological father of the kid(s) you love with all your heart. You see your future disappears in front of your own eyes when your medical test results come with a checked HIV-positive box. Your blood freezes when things that ought not to go bad go awfully wrong. And you die a dozen times when you get a deportation order. In such moments you suddenly become born-again Christians, Muslims or both. You remember all the sins you’ve committed and then go to church for confessions. You fast for forty days and forty nights. You write $500 check every Sunday to your pastor. These deportees would send messages to their relatives back home to consult with the fortune-tellers for fortune to smile on them. They will give to God and to the gods and to Caesar at the same time.
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About the Book
For decades, America has been recognized worldwide as a land of prosperity. Thousands of foreigners have struggled to come here in order to establish a better life for themselves and their families. America leaves only a few, if any at all, indifferent. Whether you are oceans away, whether you like it or not, America influences your mind, body and soul every day.
For all its problems, for all the criticisms it has taken, America remains the single most important country in the world—able to exercise influence in every field and on every continent in a way that no other great nation can. America is not an indomitable lion only on the planet earth but on the surface of the moon, too. So far, only 12 human beings have set foot on the surface of the moon; and they’ve all been from the United States.
America is great— not because of the height of its buildings, the strength of its military, the power of its dollars or the size and compositions of its land; it is not great because God has chosen its people to be great; it is great because its inhabitants have thought and worked hard to make it so. “Things don’t just happen,” Americans often say. “somebody takes risks to make them happen.” Very few happenings are considered as luck. Americans believe that God should be “left alone.” We’d stop sitting on our butts waiting on God to give us food, money, wisdom…
I hope that the readers will find in Presidents Obama/Roosevelt/Lincoln and Oprah Winfrey—whose against-the-odds life journeys affirm the American Dreams—the problems they themselves could possibly use as excuses to give up on their dreams. In this book, their stories –and much more—will inspire you to rise above your problems and circumstances.
About the Author
It’s not where you are born or whom you are born to that determines your destiny. The choices you make in life determine your destiny. But, being born into a horrible poverty, on June 30, 1974 in Cameroon, West Africa, was simply an accident of birth that Mike Tangunu Ndimunkum really had no control of. He’s seen firsthand the fracturing of his many dreams and the bitterness that comes when there is no hope but a lot of despair.
Most rich people, especially those who inherit fortunes from their parents, can never know what it is like to come out of your mother’s womb already with both hands tied behind your back – in other words—with a lot of things coming against you. All the counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists in the world are yet to discover how to avoid being born into poverty.
Mike’s impoverished background sharply contrasts with the affluence of his US Dollar paycheck life now. His constant self-reminder that he was “born poor but won’t die poor” has pushed him to work hard for everything he’s got. He always wants to achieve something unique, monumental, and lasting—an achievement the world would notice and acclaim. Somehow it hasn’t worked out that way. However, he has certainly achieved some of his goals: moved from the hopeless dust of Cameroon to the snowy shores of America where all dreams are achievable. He has a loving family and a cherished collection of friends who are willing to lift him up.
But he just didn’t feel that he has put his personal stamp on the world, contributed something to others that is valuable and expresses his unique vision of the world. The Greatness of America has come to fulfill that vision of his.
Drop him an email at mike-t@usa.com