The strange man is a story of a man who came out of nowhere into the land called Peaceland. His behaviour surprised the people so much that everybody wanted to know where he came from and how he managed to be so content with the little he had. The story recounts some of the ordeals he had to endure at the workplace, the community and his home. The story also recounts the behaviour, thoughts and actions which he took to find solutions to some of the challenges he went through. The story captures some of the drama that took place between this man and his colleagues at the workplace. It seeks to interpret most of his interactions with members of the community in a dialogue. These situations however led him to make wrong choices. Life has a way of forging a person into an indestructible weapon. This man singularly withstood the pressure of society and false criticisms. He stood against the pain, the loneliness, shame and mockery of the people. He fell down a couple of times but he rose up anytime he fell. As the saying goes winners never quit quitters never win. Nature has a way of testing people. It takes people who are determined and ever willing to stay patient and wait no matter how long it may take to succeed.
This man is described as strange not because he had demonstrated any attitude beyond the imagination of men but because he seems to find his way out of any trap that was set before him. He is strange because he seems to find inspiration no matter what people do to discourage him. The final chapter talks about how he finally got over all these problems. The lessons from all he had been through was used to inspire others.
Not everyone is able to stand the trials of nature. As students of life we are tested by the things in nature most of the time. Most people are unable to endure these tests. Only a few are able to come out successfully. Some may even die along the way, Some may get mad along the way. Some may resort to bad habits in order to overcome the shame or embarrassment. Those who stand to the end live long enough to tell their stories. This is the story of Kojo the wonder child whose behaviour was perceived as strange among his own people.
CHAPTER ONE
THE BIRTH OF KOJO
Life is a teacher and people are her students. Some have learned to adapt to her lessons by learning the hard way. Others only learn from their predecessors and manage to survive on the knowledge and skills they acquire. The pressure of fitting into society cause some people to give out even when it is not within their power. They struggle to cope with others. They see life as a competition and therefore need to do whatever it takes to be at the top of their class. They are not content with what they have and always want to have what belongs to other people. Instead of enjoying the good things in nature, they make themselves slaves to the things in nature. The few ones who find comfort and remain content with the the little they have in life are either regarded as lazy or given less respect. Mr Amoah and his wife lived in such community. Every day was a day to compete in order to win the respect of their folks. In their society, the amount of respect you receive is directly proportional to the number of children you have and the wealth you have accrued. For the former, they had none but the latter, they outwitted all the members of their community. They were really rich. There was no secret behind their wealth. Every member of the community knew how they became so rich. They were ahead of their race. There was no day they will stay away from work. They will go to work even when the weather wasn't favourable. Their lives had always been about doing what will meet the satisfaction of the members in their community. They present their selves well in the eyes of all the people. They always make sure to be present at any occasion held in their community. They donated huge sums of money to support projects in their community. They had sixteen acres of land and labourers to work on their farmland. They lived in luxury and were therefore adored by almost all the people in their community. They have endured the pressure of this competition for a long time and have become use to. Their only problem was that they were not able to give birth to children. This has been the only thing that reduced their respect in the community.
They searched tirelessly for help from doctors, herbalists and pastors yet they remained childless. They had all things except this one thing that took away their joy. At one of the grand durbars organized in the community it was rumoured among the people of a child that will be born in the community. A wonder kid that will wield power and strength. Little did they know that this child shall be born to Mr Amoah and his wife. A few months after the occasion the woman conceived. These brought joy to the family. Everyone was filled with gratitude. She gave birth to a boy and called his name Kojo. That was how he came into this world.
A short poem about kojo's birth
Upon the living water floats the egg of life
The very basic substance of existence
Seeking to break away from its shell
Where billions of people awaits his arrival
At the crossroads where the journey begins
A new life emerges out of the shadows
Signifying the the beginning of a new age
The tears of a mother in pain turn to joy
People welcome Kojo as he crawls out of the womb
Kojo the wonder kid perceived by his natives to be strange

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