WHAT MATTER’S MOST IN GHANA

You can get a different answer to this query with every person you talk to. Even those Ghanaians who agree with one another will still have a few things that are more important to them than the other. It is an unusual situation that will find different people who can agree whole heartedly on a single issue. When you look at the similarities and the differences you get some really good ideas about what is the Ghanaian philosophy in many peoples' life. All of these answers are, in essence, the fine details of what we as a nation would want to achieve.

Many people would be very strong in their opinion that sacrifice was far more important than money. Those who disagree may have a good basis for their staunch belief that money is more important than sacrifice for the nation. Is one person more right than the other? Go ask another three or four people their opinion on this and you will once again find that none of them agree. This in turn begs the question: Does it really matter what matters most in Ghana? Once again you might get diverging responses.

One thing that many people ponder on - other than what matters most in Ghana - is the question of what is the purpose of life and how do we draft to national issues. When you contemplate these two issues, you get to the heart of why humans and nations exist. For some countries the question never arises because they spend all their lives simply trying to survive as a nation by begging the western world for loans (those countries are mostly found in Africa).

In the quiet of the night when they are unable to sleep due to a hungry belly they may wonder why they must live the way they do, forgetting the fact that we as Ghanaians, right from the leaders to the ordinary man have chosen it upon ourselves. For the most part, however, people who have to struggle to live are seldom asked what matters most in life. If one were to approach them with the inquiry they would get a very precise answer. When asking the wealthy the same question you would get a very different answer. It is the rare person who has no answer at all when given time to contemplate a response.

So why do people continue to struggle when the odds are against them? Why are all the wealthy politician folks not blissfully happy and content with their lot? Are there any people anywhere that truly understand what really matters to we as Ghanaians? It would appear that there are more and more folks in Europe who really understand what matters most in their country, and that is the secret to their success. So the answer is quite simple. What matters most in Ghana is that one lives to the best of their ability. It is not necessary that anyone meet some social or moral standard. It is not important that each and every one of us try to have and work toward goals.

The fact that we as Ghanaians should be one another keeper, and should work together to move the nation to higher grounds in development, that should the most important, and stop passing judgments on how others live. Some are so intent on this they make a career of it. Does that make the busy body or the high court judge wrong? No. It is how they have chosen to live their lives. Some people are so overwhelmed by the events in their life they are either depressed or phobic and rarely present themselves to the rest of the country. Do these people need intervention? Clearly they are doing the best they are able. If someone takes it upon themselves to intervene upon these people, it would propel the country to develop socially.

In conclusion Ghanaians have been given an opportunity to live individual lives, in bodies, on the planet Earth. The point is that whether a person lives as a Muslim or Christian, a thief, an educator, a lawyer, a welfare Mom, an autocrat, a do nothing productive millionaire or any other lifestyle that is known or can be imagined - what is important is that all Ghanaians live their lives to the best of their ability for as long as they can. When a parent pushes a child to do better, or a wife nags a husband to try harder, - each of these people have an impact on the other people in their lives which would contribute to the social development of the country.

Author: Paul Rex Danquah
East London
Development / Ghana / Africa / Modernghana.com