Wrtten by: Promise Edem Nukunu
The article is base on the 3rd fight ( chapter
3) of my latest book titled - FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM.
This chapter is based on gathering,
classifying, testing and organizing the nine factors disturbing the nation. In
my labor i have received valuable assistance in person to a large extent by
interviewing the following men and women personally:
Prince Kofi Amoabeng ( C.E.O, UT Bank and holdings)
Dr. Gifty Dansoa Anti ( C.E.O, GDA Concept and host, of
The standPoint show)
Alhaji Asuman and Ahmend Bandah ( C.E.Os, Antrak Groups
and Bandex respectively)
Hon. Dr. Nii Oakley Quaye Kumah ( Former Deputy Minister
of Roads and Highways)
Hon. Ahmend Arthur ( MP, Okaikoi South consistuency)
Albert Ocran, ( Author, Speaker and C.E.O, Combert
Impressions)
Dr. Michael Agyekum Addo ( C.E.O, Kama groups of
companies)
Ama K. Abebrese ( Actress and Host, of TV 3 Newday show)
Prof. Azumah Nelson ( Boxer, Super Featherweight
Champion)
Kweku Sintim-Misa, (KSM) - Author, Comedian and Host,
Thank God is Friday.
Patrick Otieku-Boadu ( Author, Speaker and C.E.O, of
SpearHead Consult)
Kwame SefaKayi ( Speaker and Host of Krokokoo show, Peace
FM)
Whiles every attempt has been made by the author to
research extensively to present the information herein to readers, it is the
view of the author that, it considered a such.
Genesis 25:23a
…Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be
separated from your body…’’ the nations describe people,
and individuals. This nations ( individuals) are being influence by forces that
is inimical to their growth. We talk of peace and refer to it as
the absence of war. In many
cases, what we termed us the absence of war is what is threaten by many group
of people. A nation cannot be abundantly blessed with rich mineral and natural
resources and yet remain poor. Ironically, in the mist of abundance there is
misused of resources.
No one
is kept poor because other people have monopolized the wealth and have put a
fence around it. You may be shut off from engaging in business in certain
lines, but there are other channels open to you. At different periods the tide
of opportunity sets in different directions, according to the needs of the
whole and the particular stage of social evolution which has been reached.
There is abundance of opportunity for the person who will go with the tide,
instead of trying to swim against it. Perhaps a nation could not be kept down
by their colonial masters once independence is attained; they are not being
grounded by the trusts and big business.
“You are not limited to the
life you now live. It has been accepted by you as the best you can do at this
moment. Any time you're ready to go beyond the limitations currently in your
life, you're capable of doing that by choosing different thoughts.”
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Any
nation could not be under developed because the nation does not work.
Certainly, the people in it constituent the labor force and therefore a nation
is said to be developed and free not because the country can be the
labor but because the people and the mind could be induced to attract
and put those resources into used. As a class or independent nation, they are
where they are because they do not do things in a certain way. It’s as a
result of the ‘’ wow factor”
Whilst
the majority call for a change, the same majority is, perhaps don’t want to
change the status quo to meet demand.
Across the world, new forms are constantly
being made, and older ones are dissolving, but all are
shapes assumed by one
thing – the thought of man. The energy that produces the power to all
transformation.
Few
things could hinder the peace, development and progress of a nation if not
checked. Whilst majority call for prayer for God’s intervention, others think
its politician who are the change agents and therefore should be held liable to
every single predicament confronting the nation.
We must
know that, it is neither the ‘’politician’’ nor the government, but an
individual mindset. Politician is an etymology of the greek word ‘’polichre’’,
or ‘’policia’’ which means a good citizen of a country, a public servant who
takes care of state properties and seek it well being.
These is
but not all, major factors disturbing
- Educated illiterate
- Fake pastors
- The media
- Lack of systems and institutions
- culture
- Politicians
- The home/family
- Procrastination
- Ignorance
1. EDUCATED ILLITERATE
Know YOURSELF and you know the entire
human race. There is but one real achievement, and that is the ability to THINK
ACCURATELY. We move with the procession, or behind it, but we cannot stand
still.
NOTHING is
permanent except change and the change is EDUCATION, not schooling.
What
is education? The questions most people often perhaps don’t understand and
abuse it. To answer the question.Information is education. If you get the right
information, you’ll get the right education and vice versa. Today, our term
education, is now limited to only the ‘classroom’ way of learning. To think of
education in this regards only, is to be narrow minded, parochial and
schizophrenic in thinking, perhaps. Education goes beyond the classroom. It
started right when you were born. For instance; how did you know that, as a
child, to sit in your own faeces is bad ? Probably, It is because your mother
normally takes you from it anytime you defecate on yourself. Initially, when
you defecate, you sit right where you defecated until your mother or whoever
comes, to lift you from it. And as a result, by simple observation you begin to
withdrew from the faeces anytime you defecate. Occasionally, Now you move away
anytime you do it without the help of any one. How did you know? You knew it is
not good to sit in the faeces because, you implant into your subconscious mind,
by simple observation and what your mum or whoever tells you. If you had not
been told or observed your guardians actions, possibly, you would still sit in
your faeces even as you grow. So you see, by this simple analogy, the education
process begins right from the infant stage of your life.
Whiles,
others claim they have been to school for the formal education, yet are
wallowing in ignorance and perplexity.They lack moral values and mediocrity has
dominated the mind, and this is what is termed as EDUCATED ILLITERATED. The
behavior of someone could raised a lot of questions in your mind. An acclaimed
man who is supposed to be educated hitherto, drink water in a sachet and leave
it on the street. Such a person could probably gone to school but had not been
educated. The broader scope and concept of education is the transformation of
the mind, an exude of moral values, excellence and attitude that does not pose
as a danger to properties or people. The bible asserted, ‘therefore add to
knowledge faith, and to faith self control add to self control brotherly love
…’’
Alvin Tafler was right when he asseryted, The
illiterate of the twenty first century would not be those who cannot read and
write but those who cannot change. I agree with him. Education is responding
to change when you need to. But it is obvious that most people go through the
educational process just like a sound perambulating object. They passed through
the formal school system; primary, junior high, senior high (Grade 1-12) and
the tertiary just because others, perchance, their friends are exhibiting
it.This group of people are again prognosticated us educated illiterate disturbing
the nations. They’ve been to school to get the formal education nonetheless
they behave as though they had not been educated. They sometimes, use the media
to amplify their message and end up ‘mis-educating’ the public. The average man
who refuse to think about the subject under discussion takes the information us
true and that begins the ‘mis-education’ process. Charles Tremendus Jones wrote
‘’ once
mind once stretched never regains it elasticity’’. Across
the human race, there are educated illiterates who are serving as a canker and
its disturbing the nations. Such of these behave as though they had attended the
‘’so-called’’ university, but still behave and crawl like the toddler. They
serve in government departments, commissions, Consulates, aviation and other
higher places of duties. What this means is that, whilst they’ve gone through
the formal education process as in the case of schooling, most still lives in
deprived communities in their mind. If the mind is not transformed they is no
education. That is why a country like Ghana is well endowed with all the finest
natural resources but under developed. Why could a country rich as compare to
this, has it economy being funded by almost 50% of donor capital. The recession
is eminent!.
The
independence of the future is meaningless until it is linked up to the total
liberation of the present generations. The future starts now. Yesterday ended
last time. And if there is a tomorrow, it waits for those who are not yet born
but not to even a day old child.
Transformation
is the watch dog. And change follows and finally the education set in.
Forces
of EDUCATED ILLITERATES
1.
Indiscipline
2.
Inability to submit to changes
3.
Selfishness ( they put self
first instead of other first , and self second)
4.
Lack of continuous education(
inability to learn)
5.
Lack of commitment to a fault.
Among
the educated illiterates, they talk more than solving the problem. There is no
end for education. The man who says he’s finish the education process is liable
to be pronounce as dead. A completion of the formal education process as
related to high schools or tertiary is not the end of the education process.
That is only the starting points of the learning process.
In all
your endeavors, remember; SERVICE TO GOD and COUNTRY.
2. FAKE PREACHERS/PASTORS/CHURCH
ELDERS
Be
careful, God cannot be mocked but what ever a man sow, he shall reap, the Bible
asserted. But perhaps this group of people flaws on these words, and rather
used it to their advantage. A country cannot be govern, by prophecy, but rather
could be by the wisdom and knowledge of Christ. Now, preachers, especially those
of colleague Christian faith take advantage of their office and do dubious
things behind the scene and go scout free;maybe in the sight of man but surely
not that of God. Others, to some extent, extend it to the government. Today,
you here of a preacher shout and claim to be filled with the spirit of God to
robbed others. This is a cheap propaganda way to parade Christianity. No wonder
the Bible made mention of them. Another, time they declare that war would be
here and another hour, this same people asked for money as a sacrifice to avert
the cause.
Not
withstanding, not all are bad or fake. The GOOD ones are around but the bad
nuts had shadowed the good ones.
Whiles
the new covenant teaches that, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF, perhaps some
preachers still holds on to the old law ; a tooth for a tooth , an eye for an
eye. For me, this is not Christianity but rather, a different theology being
preached altogether. Maybe, I may termed it as, ‘’REVENGE CHRISTIANITY’’.
Whiles the fake pastors are following them and wining others to join. No
wonder, the Bible asserted, ‘’ not all who called ‘’Jesus Jesus’’, shall enter
the kingdom of heaven. Whiles one is called genuinely to into the work of God,
others are only money-minded.
They
twist the scriptures to suit them. Apostle Alfred Kodua helped me more with
this when he explained it in his book ‘’Who is disturbing the church’’ ‘’While such money minded church
leaders sometimes embezzle church money, others are not accountable to anybody
since the church is their private company. After, acquiring money from such
questionable sources, these church leaders usher themselves into wanton
materialism. They are also usually caught up in the trap of Neophilism, which
is the excessive love of new things. This,
they do, by purchasing the latest cars, musical instruments, dresses and many
other things. Before long, such pastors and church leaders are caught in the
web of consumerism, which describes the effects of equating personal happiness
with purchasing material possession and consumption. For such pastors and
church leaders, there is nothing like ‘’Godliness with contentment...’’ ( 1
Timothy 6:6). They project their affluence to the masses to suggest to them
that material acquisitions is a sign of God’s blessing irrespective of how it
was acquired.’’ Obviously, such people are disturbing the
nations and God’s church. The people are constantly fighting for freedom from
the menace of these people. Paul considers such fake pastors and church leaders
as not serving God but their own stomachs. He wrote ‘’ i urge you brothers and sisters to
watch out for those who cause division and obstacles in your way that are
contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people
are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites(interest). By smooth
talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people’’ (Romans 16:17-18) it
is sad these persons are found in the Christian ministry and disturbing the
nation.
All
across the world, there is a demand for change. Pastors are require to preach
the gospel in a contemporary language and present to their members to
assimilate. Imam should do like wise.
If this
canker is not treated, a whole nation could be poison and walk in redundancy.
We may pray and fast, but ones these bad nut are still not eliminated we will
still wallow in the circle of abundance and experience zero progress. If a
pastor have a solution to a national problem, let us examine his demeanor
before allowing for such honor. An unexamine life is not worth living
TWO
CATEGORIES OF LEADERSHIP
a.
Personal leadership
b.
Institutional Leadership.
The
Bible affirmed, out of the unseen comes the seen. If the personal cannot lead
himself what shows he/she can lead to solve the problem at hand.
Paul wrote
in 1 timothy 3:1-7,; ‘’3:1This is a faithful saying: if a man seek the office of
an overseer , he desires a good work. 3:2The overseer therefore must be without
reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable,
good at teaching; 3:3not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but
gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 3:4one who rules his own house well,
having children in subjection with all reverence; 3:5(but if a man doesn’t know
how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?)
3:6not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation
as the devil.
3:7 Moreover he must have good
testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the
snare of the devil’’.
You see,
if there is no self leadership, his advice with relation to the demeanor is
doom.
3. THE
MEDIA
The
media is now a strong tool in all aspect of life. Ranging from governance to
business. Nonetheless, the media is disturbing the nation. Whilst its helping
the nation they concentrate on the profit aspect compared to the development of
the nation. They allow influx of ‘unhygienic adverts to hit their screens.
Nowadays, fetish priest are allowed to advertise for customers. Yes, I
understood that very well. Freedom of associations and freedom to do business.
But we must know that freedom goes with responsibilities.A flash of an image
can can be a memory in your mind. Jules Carlysle (1970) put it right, Opportunity for
reflection is a scarcity in today's world, dominated as it is by visual media
such as television, which fires a constant stream of images at you,
point-blank. And even if you are quick with the mute, pause or rewind button,
the visual stream still requires continuous mental processing and or
spoon-feeding as the case may be.We are so clearly manipulated and influenced
by the media of establishments on both right and left, that the truth has
become hopelessly lost in semantics’’.
The African-American Muslim cleric
and militant black nationalist leader, Malcolm X (1925 - 1965), also known as
Malcolm Little or El-Shabazz, once said the media is the most powerful entity
on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the
guilty innocent, and that is power.’’ Alfed Koduah avowed in his book, Who
is disturbing the nation. This is by all standards a profound statement considering the
influence the media exerts on the life of people in contemporary society. The
nation as a subset of the larger universe (society) has also undoubtedly been
impacted by the media.
Media exploitation is at its best in
reality TV where fantasies of excitement and sex are fulfilled. The MTV, which
promotes personal sexual freedom, has tried to glorify lust, sex and vanity by
deconstructing the notion that the seven deadly sins of the Bible are actually
sinful. On the other hand, television screens, sexual immorality is often
depicted in a way that makes sin appear attractive and, sometimes, even
compelling. People are to be aware of this subtle deception so that they are
not taken unaware.
‘’One fact that television viewers
have to know is that, what they are watching have been edited to suit what the
producers would want them to see. They should, therefore, not feel that they
are watching very ‘’true scenes’’. Francis Schaeffer points out,
‘’ television manipulates viewers by
it normal way of operating. Many viewers seem to assume that when they have
seen something on TV, they have seen it with their own eyes...But this is not
so, for one must never forget that every television minute has been edited. The
viewer does not seen the event. He sees...an edited symbol or an edited image
of that event. An aura and objectivity and truth is built up, which could not
be totally the case even if the people shooting the film were completely
neutral’’.
Apostle Alfred Kodua acknowledge, In
contemporary popular culture, people live their lives through a series of
television characters (or shadows of characters), in which changing of channels
has become the model for them to experience real life. As a result, moral and
spiritual anchorage is lost. ‘this is because television, by its nature,
relentlessly displays a pseudo-world of discontinuity and fragmentation in
which within a minute, a sad story that needs sober reflection is followed by a
lively advertisement for Disneyland ,followed an appeal to purchase an
irresistible enticing lady’s underwear and so on. Such a situation is what Neil
Postman calls ‘’peek a-boo world’’ where ‘’now this event, now that pops into
view for a moment, then vanishes again’’, or a visual environment lacking
coherence, consisting of ever-shifting, artificial-linked images, resting in a
world without coherence or sense.
Though not undermining the good and
strong contribution and the positive impact of the media in our lives. But as
far as the television is concern, it has also act and promote a corrupt
lifestyle by its incessant entertainment imperatives. It entertainment mentality has even permeated Christians
thought to the extent that some pastors feel that sermons must be ‘’light and
informal’’. With liberal sprinkling of ‘’humor and anecdotes’’. Tom Raabe,
however, points out that ‘’ the truth is that truth, and the most important truth, is
often not entertaining. An entertainment mentality will insulates us from many
hard but necessary truths.The concept of sin, repentance and hell, for instance
cannot be presented as entertaining without robbing them of their intrinsic
meaning’’.
As part of the media, the Newspaper
is not an exceptions. With the frame work of contemporary popular culture,
there has been the proliferation of newspaper covering virtually every aspect of life; ranging from
business, politics, family and lifestyle, education, sports, health, showbiz
and even sex. Though this competition has made journalist innovative in
reporting and presentation of reportage, others have lowered their standard by
publishing false or forged stories to sabotage others. This act alone can cause
an uprising in a nation and this is disturbing the nation. In order to survive,
they sell their integrity and professional ethics to publishing culturally
unwholesome , inappropriate and unsubstantiated stories.
In this act, the radio is not also
and exception.
All these acts are what is disturbing
the nation.
4. LACK OF SYSTEMS AND INSTITUTIONS
John Maxwell pointed out in his book, 15 invaluable laws of growth, ‘’if
you want to develop strategy, depend on systems’’. Michael Gerber wrote in his book The E-Myth, ‘’ systems permit
ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results predictably.’’
In life
what others tell you is not but is repeat for a long time you turned to
believe it.
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John L. Mason wrote in his book An enemy called average ‘’It would be
useless for the sheep to pass a resolution in favor of vegetarianism whilst the
wolf is of a different opinion’’. I believe in the rule of law. All the functions and
institution must work to improve the economy. ‘’One is too small a number to
achieve greatness’’ claimed John C. Maxwell.
Mr. A man who happens to be a police officer would not
change the rule for the entry requirement for new recruits because his nephew
is below that category of people. This is quite equivalent to murder. Let me
get to any government agency office or any other office and I would see the
right people right there on time. Mr. B. get to work at 10:00am because the
work is a government work. This is a disease that must be eliminated. In the
words of Mother Theresa ‘’ Together as one, we can achieve great things’’. Heaven
and earth was not built in a day. A little here and a little there we will
achieve the right goal. I mean a collective responsibility. This reminds of an
experience I had in a vehicle – I sat in a bus with a man, say is about 47
years of age or more, from Dansoman to Santa Maria, all a Suburb in Accra, the
capital city of Ghana . This man who I thought is old enough to father me. This
man was reading a book and the chapter of the book is ‘International business
relations’. He bought a groundnut from the vendor and
started eating in the bus. The man as I observed, to my amusement, he ate and
threw the waste of the groundnut to the pavements of the road. I observed
closely, thinking, he may not be aware of his unusual behavior but as I alerted
him and advice, he should rather leave the waste in the polythene and later
dump it in a refuse bin, which is better to throwing it on the road, he
responded with the answer ‘’ I know that it is wrong and what you’re advising
on, is good but I enjoyed doing it -that is spreading the waste on the road’’. He
just proved his ignorance and fall in the category of ‘educated illiterate’ . I
was really shocked and perplexed. You could see how a man of that age, could be
mentally locked in mental dungeon and morally bankrupt . Obviously age is
inevitable but maturity is optional. And if there could have been a police or
the system put in place, I am sure this man who could probably, suffering from
mental paralysis or dementia would not act in that manner.
Let everyone, be the
enforcer of the law. Let’s do it, process by process, person by person in our
own small way, we’ll achieve the target goal. The government is you and I.
I asked
my mentor , Mr. Prince Kofi Amoabeng, in an interview prior
to this book:
‘’Please, looking at
you way back in the military, what make you resign from such a noble and good
paid profession to struggle in order to established your company-UT Bank?
He answered ‘ I love
the military. It was a very nice environment to be. Yes, I agree that, I was a
simple public or civil servant. I had no intention to get out of the army at
all. But because of the coups and things like that I felt this was not the army
I had joined. A system where senior army officers salute junior officers, I
could not stand it. The coup was mitigated by junior officers as corporals
against senior officers. And all of a sudden you see them taking over the hem
of affairs but I love my country enough to stay in the country. And no one can
kick me out of my own country. Because I know the army is an orderly
institution. But I just cannot conformed to the uprising and dishonoring and
the system was broken I just had to pack and leave. Suppose the systems were
working I would just stay there and conform. I like systems. Everybody, knows
what to do. What to expect… what the next person should do… and what you should
do in relation to the next person and I love it. And I want to compete with
these systems… but to answer your question-since the systems were not working I
got frustrated and that actually put me on the path to entrepreneurship. Lack
of system thus proper order disturbs a nation.
On the other side,
because Africa and to the specific Ghana hasn’t got the system and people are
corrupt ( or morally bankrupt) and people don’t want to respect other person,
that’s how come I really want to start something to correct the anomalies. So
you see, respect is also part of making the system to work’’.
Policies are made yet not implemented. We have thrown away values. We have more
schools yet less education. We are morally derailed. If the institutions work
everything will move on well. The waste problems in the country is cause by
ourselves. Mr. A drinks a sachet of water and throws it on the street and
expecting Mr. B to sweep but Mr. B. will not. The traffic light on red but the
driver would still think he is wiser than the system so he will not obey the
traffic rules and the road safety regulations, few meters away, he knocked
someone down or involved in fatal accident, all of a sudden we begin to blame
the devil and say to the bereaved family ‘’Nyame na oma, Nyame na ogye’’ in a
local Akan tribe in Ghana literally translated ‘God gives and is God who
takes’’. It took some ones carelessness, to lose a life on earth and there we
are saying ‘God gives and God takes’. Collective responsibility- let’s put the
system in place and obey it. Our nation and continent would transform.
‘’when I was traveling to Nigeria,
the immigration officers attempted to pull me out of the queue in Ghana, but I
said, ‘’No!’’ they insisted and I said, ‘’No! No! No! leave me alone, I am
comfortable.’’after all, there were just about twenty people ahead of me. I
don’t feel better than them, if they are queuing, we will all queue. I came to
the airport on time but unfortunately and especially in Africa we want to feel
we are different from the others, so we make people wait on us. If as a leader
you don’t go through the mill, so to speak, and you’re treated preferentially,
you wont understand the grill your people go through. So when I go to the
cafeteria, I will queue. Because I don’t want to go and they served me
special…but I will queue…how long it takes, take my food like everybody
else…make sure the process is deserving of people because if you have a problem
with it then it means that everybody has a problem with it. If you don’t come
to that cafeteria and you don’t queue and you don’t suffer like anybody
else…you don’t know the depth of the suffering from which you want to deliver
the people you lead. When I finish eating, I clear the table, not just my
space. I don’t complain. People see want I’ve done so they do what I did the
next time. You see, if you are leading, you should lead by example if you want
to change people from their bad ways’’.
5.CULTURE
Culture
they say is a way of life. ‘’But that way of life if is not helping calls for a
different approach and way of doing things. The world is in constant motion. It
will not wait for you. You either give up or move with it’’ claimed Dr. Gift
Dansoa Anti. We have rich culture as a continent , from
food to dressing and way of managing our life and institutions. But if the need
be, we can adopt others culture but should not deteriorate ours. Let us not
confuse chieftaincy with management. But it seems that is what I see. We have a
good sense of humor, hospitality and relations. But some have rather trade away
values for nothing. Some have been like, Judas Iscariot who traded his values
for just thirty pieces of silver. In the words of Prince Kofi Amoabeng during
an interview section with him and as was written by Daniel Amusu, in his book Living naked-the wit and wisdom of Prince Kofi Amoabeng
‘’African
by nature…by our upbringing...our culture… we are difficult to deal with, as a
people. we have to accept the fact that in general we are a bad lot. This is arguable
. There are some very good people but overall you can’t trust the average
African. The rot has really eaten into our moral fabric to the extent that our
education has deteriorated. The kind of people we churn out, not only are their
values wrong but their education is tainted. They are shallow, they want to be
rich quick and they don’t want to even wait to build their career…it is
difficult. So even though we can say that Africa labour is cheap, it is in
reality expensive. So it is a tough thing, but that doesn’t mean that one can’t
achieve the little bit that one can. But I am not deterred. That is why I’ve
been emphasizing that the system should work, we can weed out the bad nut. I
don’t mind having a high turnover of employees. Eventually you’ll get the right
people who are not that bad and can carry the company to the next level.
Unfortunately, you can’t be in charge
of all the people and you have to delegate. As soon as you delegate another
black person, be very careful. Because he is going to sit on all the trash or
the wrong’’.
To change your attitude and way of life. Change your
environment. Clear your mind.read to broaden your knowledge, and let go of all
the superstition. Get the experience and believe that it is well. No one has
achieve success without, believing in himself. Cultivate good morals, hold unto
your values and be discipline to a fault. Your values determine your
personality. Corruption should be out. Make a choice – a good one of cause. A
choice to change a fault. And finally, take the necessary action. An informed
determination that you will not give up and together Africa and for the exact,
Ghana would be a better place.
Here is the Cultural Process declared to me by Albert
Ocran,
• Environment – what happens around you
• Knowledge – what you know
• Experience – what you go through
• Beliefs – what you accept as true
• Values we lack , moral
& moral – what you treasure
• Choices–what you decide to do
• Actions–what you actually do
6.
POLITICIAN
Who is a politician? The subject of governance and
political science tells us, they are people who studied the science of
governance and normally in charge of ruling a state or country.
Etymologically, the word, politician comes from the
greek word , Polichre which means a good citizen of a country. A public servant responsible for keeping and
over seeing state or government properties. A case study of a good and loyal
politician from the biblical perspective is Daniel. The bible asserted, he was
without fault and an excellent spirit is in him.
Daniel
6:1-7
6:1 It pleased Darius to set over the
kingdom one hundred twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;
6:2and over
them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might
give account to them, and that the king should have no damage.
6:3Then this Daniel was distinguished above
the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the
king thought to set him over the whole realm.
6:4Then the presidents and the
satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but
they could find no occasion nor fault, because he was faithful, neither was
there any error or fault found in him.
6:5Then these men said, we shall not
find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning
the law of his God.
6:6Then these presidents and satraps assembled
together to the king, and said thus to him, King Darius, live forever.
6:7All the presidents of the kingdom,
the deputies and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have consulted
together to establish a royal statute, and to make a strong decree, that
whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you,
O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
“If a man is called to be
a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Ablade Glover painted, or
Ephraim Amu composed music, or Atukwei Okai wrote poetry. He should sweep
streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here
lived a great street sweeper who did his job excellently.(Prince Kofi Amoabeng,
2014)”
Every man is but
politician. Those we call politician are the very people we elect to represent
us in decision making.Remove the fear. There is an alternative to surrendering to fear:
Taking responsibility for ourselves. Responsibility does not only lie with the
leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do
a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example,
starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with
those around us.
Before we allow total
chaos to envelope our continent, we should remember three things:
1. The
cost to humanity of letting Africa sink into bloody anarchy will be extremely
high
2. The
benefits of helping build Africa into a stable peaceful socioeconomic
Power
house are potentially very great
3. The cost of initiating
this progressive movement are relatively low.
We must know that a call
to leadership is a call to self denials. Let politician ( every man) exude the
attitude and ethics of Daniel. And let these be your attitude;
·
An excellent spirit – being
diligence in all your transactions.
·
Integrity
·
Respect for all
·
Country first, self last
7.THE FAMILY/HOME
When the family fall
apart the nation is in division, this probably confirms Chenua Achebe, when he
point out, ‘’things may fall apart when the center does not hold’’. Indeed, the
nation would fall when the family does not hold.The cliché Charity begins at
home is not only true but also a strong statement that guide and have a strong
effects on us. As Elmer Towns asked John C. Maxwell,’’Do you know how to make a
poker hot?’’Elmer asked. ‘’Put it next to the fire.’’ He then went on to
explain that we’re like the metal in a poker. If our environment is cold, we’re
cold. If it’s hot, we’re hot.’’ If you want to grow, ‘’he said, ‘’ then spend
time with great people ; visit great places; attend great places, read great
books; listen to great tapes’’. And the family is one of such a great thing. Research
made by social psychologist Dr. David McCleland of Harvard, the people with
whom you habitually associate are called your ‘’reference group,’’ and these
people determine as much us ninety five per cent of your success or failure in life.
It obvious, the family is a place we all lived together. No way could a man
abandon his/her family totally. King Solomon of Israel wrote, ‘’ walk with the
wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm’’. The choices you
make today might/ was influence by a family member.
Dorothy Law Nolte wrote that children learn what they
are taught. She wrote;
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be
apprehensive.
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry
for himself.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel
envy.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
BUT
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be
patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be
confident.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to be
appreciative.
If a child
lives with acceptance, he learns to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like
themselves.
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth
is.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If children live with recognition, they learn to have
a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn to be
generous.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have
faith in himself and those about him.
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the
world is a nice place in which to live.
With
what is your child living with?
The
family is a great place. Let the family be that great institution people would
learn from. Treat it like not a home for values and virtues and it would
disturb the nation.
8.
PROCRASTINATION
Often, we
hear that procrastination is a thief of time. Procrastination robs you of
opportunity. The practitioners of these disturb the nation more seriously than
anything. It is a significant fact that no great leader was ever known to
procrastinate. You are fortunate if AMBITION drives you into action, never
permitting you to falter or turn back, once you have rendered a DECISION to go
forward. Second by second, as the clock ticks off the distance TIME is running
a race with YOU. Delay means defeat, because no man may ever make up a second
of lost TIME. It’s that heals the wounds of temporary
defeat, and equalizes the inequalities and rights the wrongs of the world. TIME is a master worker indded, it turned failure and
disappointment and rights all wrongs and turns all mistakes into assets, but,
it favors only those who kill off procrastination and remain in ACTION when
decisions are to made.
There is no such thing
called limitation in the minds of those who are willing to overcome their
affliction. There is no limitation to the mind except for those who
acknowledge it,
|
There is nothing
"Impossible" with time! ‘’No man has a chance to enjoy permanent
success until he begins to look in a mirror for the real cause of all his
mistakes’’. Wrote Napoleon Hill. If you
want to progress, then you must not be a victim for this. Things that are to be
done must be done in it right and set time than to postponed it. Any one who
practices this habit is not only fit to be called lazy but a carbon copy of
failure.
Procrastination is a deadly enemy of all who
would become leaders in any undertaking.
You have to eliminate this habit by:
·
Doing some definite and useful
thing each day, without anyone telling me to do it.
·
Searching until I find at least
one thing that I can do each day that I have not been in the habit of doing and
that will be of value to others.
·
Telling at least one other
person, each day, of the value of practicing this habit of doing something that
ought to be done without being told to do it.
It is
obvious, a time wasted is an opportunity and every opportunity lost is life’s
diminishes. Refuse to used the time available to mentor, nurture and developed
your gift and you’ll be buried in the grave of doomed. The funeral attendant
would definitely be your mates – poverty, failure etc.
Life is a
great checker-board. The player opposite you is TIME.
If you
hesitate you will be wiped off the board. If you keep moving you may win. The
only real assets is TIME, but it is assets only when used.
You may be
shocked if you keep accurate account of the TIME you waste in a single day.
Take a look at
the picture above if you wish to know the fate of all who play carelessly with
TIME.
THE picture at top page tells a true story of one of the
chief causes of FAILURE!
One of the players is “TIME” and the other is Mr. Average
Man; let us call him YOU.
Shift by shift Time has wiped off Mr. Average Man’s men
until he is finally cornered, where Time will get him, no matter which way he
moves. INDECISION has driven him into the corner.
· · · · · ·
· ·
The
great leaders of the world were men and women of quick decision.
|
Ask any well
informed business and right thinking man and he will tell you that indecision
is the outstanding weakness of the majority of people. Every right thinking man
is familiar with that time-worn excuse, “I will think it over,” which is the
last trench-line of defense of those who have not the courage to say either yes
or no. Like the player in the picture above, they cannot decide which way to
move. Meanwhile, Time forces them into a corner where they can't move.
Oh! The “Old Man Procrastination” stands within the
shadow of every human being, waiting his opportunity to spoil one’s chances of
success. Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the
“time to be right” to start doing something worthwhile. Do not wait. The time
will never be “just right.” Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools
you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.
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