Leaders' Actions and Society
30 December 2025 By Abiodun Kareem Giwa
Presidents Donald Trump and Joseph Biden
The problem with human society is enormous, arising from insatiable monetary and material possessions. It is not just about the one percent of the population, but everyone in a race to outdo one another. Remember the saying, "My Mercedes is bigger than yours? It does not have to do with car ownership, but also with mansions or landed properties. It is a dangerous game and a show that is affecting all. Most of the problems in developing countries are traceable to or caused by corruption among government officials in collusion with their business partners in private life, who all seek to enrich themselves to acquire material wealth at the detriment of the populace.
Where do they keep or store their wealth if not in banks in developed countries? People often say that corruption is prevalent everywhere, from developing countries to developed countries. The difference between the rich and other nations is the enforcement of the rule of law in the former and its absence in the latter. Those who steal the money meant for an entire country are not different from armed robbers and terrorists.
But are they treated the same way as robbers and terrorists when apprehended? It is the malady that attracted soldiers into government to save their countries, but they have mostly proved to be worse and have left their countries almost empty. It is the picture of a seeming struggle between the haves and the have-nots, giving relevance to Edward Bellamy's description of society in 'Looking Backward' as a coach populated by people, with the rich at the top layer and others below. When those at the top die or fall off, their seats go to their offspring or taking up by other smart individuals.
One has lived long enough to know how the lifestyle of the wealthy has encouraged struggling people to work hard to attain the same position or ensure their children climb to the top, thereby affecting them. When you have lived in a poor country and a prosperous country, you will see clearly that the same process applies. However, the law of diminishing returns appears to have eroded whatever gains newly educated people seem to have; white-collar jobs have become scarce, and everyone, whether educated or not, competes for a limited number of available positions.
Can the question of the super-rich lauding it against society ever be resolved? It is an age-old battle, one that reminds us of the fight between Utopian literature and the monsters Beowulf first defeated. The Utopian story helps to remind us that society is dealing with monsters or that the evil against society is monstrous. Beowulf returned to his land after helping to defeat the monsters that troubled his neighbor. He became a hero and was welcomed back in his own land as a leader no one could contest.
Then, one day, a poor and hungry guy went about looking for food. He strayed into a hideout, where he acquired some valuable items, much like a thief, but he was caught by a monster, to the one's consternation. The monster was kept to guard a vault left behind by a wealthy family whose members had all died, and no one knew what they hid behind the walls.
To access the vault became the responsibility of a valiant person. And the courageous fellow was no other than the leader who had successfully taken out two monsters in a neighboring land. He surrendered to confront the monster, making the resource in the vault available to the people. The fight against the monster that guarded the vault was bloody, in fact, bloodier than expected. Beowulf killed the monster, but the monster also succeeded in damaging Beowulf and did not survive the battle.
That same monster exists in all lands, standing between people and their wealth. However, leaders who are supposed to confront the situation often prioritize their own needs. The United States, in the last five years, presents a good example of where leaders do what pleases them and their politics, but use whatever they do as a service to the people. What happened to the country's border that caused such a state of insecurity, and did leaders believe it was the best thing that had occurred to the country? One year after the emergence of new leaders, reports indicate that the country has seen a decline in illegal crossings. Every country needs selfless leaders who prioritize the country and its people, utilizing the country's power for that purpose, and care less about what happens, as long as they leave a legacy of service.
We don't need any performance analysis to see the glaring differences in terms of inflation levels, gasoline prices, national security, and efforts to establish peace in war-torn areas around the world. What is required is not a change of political or economic ideology, but a leader like Donald Trump and stamping out corruption in the system through overt transparency and treating corrupt leaders as terrorists.
Where do they keep or store their wealth if not in banks in developed countries? People often say that corruption is prevalent everywhere, from developing countries to developed countries. The difference between the rich and other nations is the enforcement of the rule of law in the former and its absence in the latter. Those who steal the money meant for an entire country are not different from armed robbers and terrorists.
But are they treated the same way as robbers and terrorists when apprehended? It is the malady that attracted soldiers into government to save their countries, but they have mostly proved to be worse and have left their countries almost empty. It is the picture of a seeming struggle between the haves and the have-nots, giving relevance to Edward Bellamy's description of society in 'Looking Backward' as a coach populated by people, with the rich at the top layer and others below. When those at the top die or fall off, their seats go to their offspring or taking up by other smart individuals.
One has lived long enough to know how the lifestyle of the wealthy has encouraged struggling people to work hard to attain the same position or ensure their children climb to the top, thereby affecting them. When you have lived in a poor country and a prosperous country, you will see clearly that the same process applies. However, the law of diminishing returns appears to have eroded whatever gains newly educated people seem to have; white-collar jobs have become scarce, and everyone, whether educated or not, competes for a limited number of available positions.
Can the question of the super-rich lauding it against society ever be resolved? It is an age-old battle, one that reminds us of the fight between Utopian literature and the monsters Beowulf first defeated. The Utopian story helps to remind us that society is dealing with monsters or that the evil against society is monstrous. Beowulf returned to his land after helping to defeat the monsters that troubled his neighbor. He became a hero and was welcomed back in his own land as a leader no one could contest.
Then, one day, a poor and hungry guy went about looking for food. He strayed into a hideout, where he acquired some valuable items, much like a thief, but he was caught by a monster, to the one's consternation. The monster was kept to guard a vault left behind by a wealthy family whose members had all died, and no one knew what they hid behind the walls.
To access the vault became the responsibility of a valiant person. And the courageous fellow was no other than the leader who had successfully taken out two monsters in a neighboring land. He surrendered to confront the monster, making the resource in the vault available to the people. The fight against the monster that guarded the vault was bloody, in fact, bloodier than expected. Beowulf killed the monster, but the monster also succeeded in damaging Beowulf and did not survive the battle.
That same monster exists in all lands, standing between people and their wealth. However, leaders who are supposed to confront the situation often prioritize their own needs. The United States, in the last five years, presents a good example of where leaders do what pleases them and their politics, but use whatever they do as a service to the people. What happened to the country's border that caused such a state of insecurity, and did leaders believe it was the best thing that had occurred to the country? One year after the emergence of new leaders, reports indicate that the country has seen a decline in illegal crossings. Every country needs selfless leaders who prioritize the country and its people, utilizing the country's power for that purpose, and care less about what happens, as long as they leave a legacy of service.
We don't need any performance analysis to see the glaring differences in terms of inflation levels, gasoline prices, national security, and efforts to establish peace in war-torn areas around the world. What is required is not a change of political or economic ideology, but a leader like Donald Trump and stamping out corruption in the system through overt transparency and treating corrupt leaders as terrorists.
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