What's Your Preoccupation: Busyness Or Business?

"Busyness" and "business" are more like homophones in the area of English grammar. They appear to have the same or similar pronunciation but their individual meanings differ. This article has its emphasis laid not on grammar but rather on their working dynamics. So I now ask our youths - what's your preoccupation: busyness or business? Yes, please permit me to probe too deeply into your personal affairs, for I am also a youth. Personally, business is my central preoccupation.

And I guess busyness will be the preoccupation of most young people scattered across the continent of Africa. I dare not put up a holier-than-thou attitude, but I will try to caution you intellectually for our mutual benefits.

Now let me get down to the nitty-gritty of the matter in hand. Busyness means the quality, state or condition of being busy. Stated differently, it is any lively but meaningless activity. A cursory look at the way of life of our youths in every nook and cranny reveals that many of them are just busy doing nothing progressive. I mean, such individuals simply goof around to say the least. Henry David Thoreau, an erstwhile American author who wrote the book 'Life without Principle' in 1862, once opined that, "It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?" I must admit that we all get busy one way or the other, but most people are merely busy but do not mean business. So they end up achieving nothing, to be frank.

No wonder Todd Stocker satirically stated that, "I wanted to figure out why I was so busy, but I couldn't find the time to do it." This is a clear case which is obviously manifested in the lives of many, and some are practically busy for nothing. They seem to be doing an arduous work but it really lacks substance. For busyness and business can be construed as mutually exclusive in the everyday lives of a chunk of our youths. Again, it is appropriate to say that the spirit of business in our young people is incredibly dormant. The African society actually misconstrues the dynamics of business in this 21st Century. That is why the western world has always soared by leaps and bounds while Africa shamefully lags behind.

"Business is fundamentally about people - your mental toughness and ability to build relationships with others," Dr. Rob Yeung emphasised. In this 21st Century which is bound by globalisation, business schools of Ghanaian universities place a high premium on the wearing of suit and tie. The curricula are outdated vis-á-vis reformed international standards, to tell the truth. Look! You cannot grasp the heart and soul of contemporary business in our crude textbooks and a series of cheap examinations.

I tell you, business in today's globalised world is a lifestyle and not a mere programme or course. Unfortunately, our schooling system has rather compelled our students to develop predefined abilities which are lacking in the dynamics of globalisation.

Moreover, real business is never about memorising concepts and theories. It is a disciplined practice. For innovation is the bedrock of 21st Century business, not the empty certificates people are busily acquiring, but they end up being unemployed or poor. How many times must I declare that you do not need capital to start a business? You only need passion, a priceless one.

This is the true and lasting capital of your global business role models. A truly business oriented person explores today's impossibility by smartness, with intellect and through persistence. Gosh, I really love the preceding sentence! These stuff must be imparted to our youths so that they do not continue to wallow in deceit and mess their dear lives up. Therefore, seek the rare and defiant business knowledge henceforth.

Source: sirarticle.blogspot.com