Local author, engineer and songwriter Imzan Hussein appeared KWON Radio's Community Connection to talk about his new book, The Simple Freedom. In the book, Hussein shares stories from his own life while encouraging readers to slow down, think for themselves and focus on what really matters.

Hussein grew up in the small village of Cornelia Ida in Guyana, where people from different religious backgrounds lived side by side. He said those experiences taught him an important lesson early in life: a person's character is far more important than their race, religion or background.

He also talked about difficult times during Guyana's food shortages caused by the nation's adoption of communism, when his family smuggled basic food supplies just to get by. After being arrested protecting his mother, Hussein said he learned that people should always be judged as individual and not by the group they belong to.

He moved to New York in 1985, where he faced several challenges. One story from the book tells how he got a job repairing copy machines without ever seeing one before. Instead of giving up, he carefully studied how the machine worked and fixed it. Hussein says that experience showed him that many problems become much easier when you stay calm and use common sense.

Hussein later accepted what was supposed to be a one-year engineering contract with ConocoPhillips in Bartlesville, but it turned into a long career. Now retired, he spends his time working at his news business called The Simple Freedom in Dewey, writing books and poetry, recording music and sharing the message behind The Simple Freedom. He says today's world encourages people to chase money, status and possessions, but real freedom comes from keeping life simple, thinking clearly and focusing on what people truly need instead of what society tells them they should want.

Get The Book at AMAZON.COM

Listen to Imzan Hussein's Music