Crusade Against Moral Decadence

By Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
Never concede to evil. When we concede to evil, even in a small way, we feed it, and it grows stronger.

-DAVE WOLVERTON, The Courtship of Princess Leia.

Ghana is rich in both natural and human resources. Unfortunately this is not reflecting in the material and living conditions of our people. Unemployment is high and there are many communities without good drinking water and electricity. Something must be wrong.

This country has fallen into the abyss of moral decadence. Acts of immorality have become pervasive in society. Hardly a day passes without both the print and electronic media harping on about some of the most serious acts of immorality occurring in various parts of the country.

These social vices which have eaten deep into the moral fabric of society and threatened its very foundations have included murder, armed robbery, stealing, corruption at all levels of society, gambling, rape, defilement, adultery and fornication, prostitution and the creeping incidence of homosexuality and lesbianism to mention but a few.

Indiscipline and total disregard for traffic regulations have resulted in fatal accidents and needless loss of lives. The irony of it is that the perpetrators of such despicable acts belong to some form of religion or another. We have three major religions in this country, namely the traditional, Islamic and Christian religions and a few of Eastern origin. There has been an upsurge in various spiritual churches all professing to lead people in the way of God.

There seems to be no end to the spate of indiscipline and immorality that have plagued the nation. This is a disheartening and worrying situation because the better Ghana agenda cannot be successfully prosecuted in a state of lawlessness and indiscipline.

What has accounted for the moral decadence that has engulfed this country? Some people simply do not want to follow the rules of life and the rules of success. They want to harvest where they have not planted. They want the good life but do not want to sweat for it. They want shortcuts to success but experience shows that such unethical methods do not bring lasting success.

Our society is gradually accepting corruption as a way of life. We seem to be glorifying corruption. We do not question the source of wealth of some public officials who rose from rags to riches overnight. They are erroneously held in high esteem and given red carpet treatment during public functions and other social gatherings. The young and upcoming youth blindly copy the life styles of such crooks to the detriment of national development.

We all know that corruption is bad for the country because it takes away money which could have been used for projects that could benefit the mass of the people.

It seems our leaders, the clergy, traditional rulers and all those in the upper echelons of society are not living up to expectation in terms of imparting to the youth our most cherished values and beliefs which ought to be the foundations around which development can be achieved.

For the country to develop and take its proper place among the comity of nations, it needs people with a strong moral fibre. The youth should be encouraged to build into their lifestyles such qualities as honesty, hard work, integrity, loyalty, patriotism, humility, patience, love of the human being, selfless service to one's nation, making yourself incorruptible while respecting everyone as your superior who can be your mentor and teacher. Above all we should follow the golden rule which Jesus taught his disciples in his time but which is relevant to us today. “Do unto others what you would want them to do unto you.”

Our educational system is also partly to blame for the moral decadence prevailing in our society today. Occultism is secretly practiced in our educational institutions. Examination malpractices have become common in most educational institutions.

Students coming out from our tertiary institutions seem not to have been taught to think creatively and find solutions to their problems. They come out from the university expecting the government to give them jobs which are non-existent. Our educational system needs review to make it relevant to current aspirations. They should create their own jobs. They should be problem solvers.

Our leaders should be the role models we expect them to be. They should lead by example. They should take pride in honest achievements rather than corrupt practices.

The government should intervene by checking the influx of pornographic materials which is corrupting the morals of our people especially the youth. Movies with sex scenes should be banned from being shown on national television.

Again, the tenets of our constitution should be very well explained to our people. It is the supreme law of the land and sets out how this country should be governed. The crusade against moral decadence must be fought on all frontiers of our national life.

Religious and moral education should be intensified at all levels of our educational system. People who exhibit high moral standards should be rewarded to encourage others to do the same. Families should be built on sound moral principles. Parents should train and mentor their children to imbibe our most cherished values of honesty, diligence, truthfulness, love of one's neighbor and country, and selfless service to mankind.

Same sex relationships are abnormal and should be discouraged. We should copy from other cultures what will help foster national unity and development. We should not reduce the human resource base through the evil practice of homosexuality and lesbianism. The war against moral decadence must continue. We cannot afford to fail. If we do, future generations will not forgive us.

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