My Essays (Narratives)

Crossroad of Nations

Do you hear the noise? The noise coming from the crossroad.

The crossroad of the nations once again was here. It comes in every 3 and 6 years and leads to the change of the captain. Whether it would lead for the better or for the worse, the baton will be put into your hands. You should answer the call of the crossroads, and pick the one that you would not regret. The one you would chose will be driving the wheel of your fate.

The old captain didn't have much time left before he left his hat and badge like his predecessors. Some left peacefully, some completed halfway, and some were kicked out. Regardless of how they left, they maneuver the ship with great difficulty whether for their own or for your benefit. During that years, you struggled for your own identity and dignity. An identity to stand on your own and dignity that you are a nation equal to others.

Then again, many candidates were applying to be your captain. Some are really competent, some desire change, some wanted to challenge the status quo, and some ought to repair their family's dignity. You had found some abnormalities, yet you let them pass. It happened that the stains left behind by the predecessors were hunting the candidates. The stain was rebranded regardless of what it was, whether you like it or not.

The current captain you had found at the ends of your land seemed to be the one who will bring change. The blood had shed on your soil. Innocents silently fell without the lights of your court. Some rumors were like tear gas thrown at your people. Many helplessly succumb to it and chose to not get up. You knew what it means, and you fear where it goes.

Amid smoke and suffocation of disinformation, a light was seen. A light had shed some hope in your eyes. One brought his cross, the other brought their rainbow, and the last held tablet drawn with a fist. They hope the smog would not last. One by one, they stood with the things that the first people took.

The battle between cleaning and smearing didn't seem to be ending soon. Each side had found some great people to defend them. The right and the wrong were being hostage by one of the team. The battle ensues not with blood but with words. You were being torn apart with the two, you despaired seeing them. You once again heard the noise, you looked at where it came from. It came from the crossroad of nations, calling you to pass the baton to your next captain.

Now, you had looked at your candidates with great attention. Many were waiting for you to choose the captain. The captain will navigate the uncertainty of the future hopefully with the right mind. The baton was in your hand, you need to choose. In what path, your captain will navigate at this great crossroad.

---

April 21, 2022 ( April 5, 2022)

This was the piece that I had submitted for the zine but unfortunately it didn't pass.