More reasoning, less superstition

It is pretty obvious that Ghanaians cannot eclipse themselves from the devastating effects of global warming. So for, Nana Kwaku Bonsam, a fetish priest to aver that Ghana will be experiencing heavy rainfall this year because the gods and the rivers are angry, clearly demonstrates the gulf that exists between critical reasoninsg (scientific study) and religion (superstition). (See: Juju is cause of fatal VIP bus accidents- Kwaku Bonsam: www. citifmonline.com)

Similarly, I was not amused when Apostle J.K. Ansah, Koforidua Area pastor of the Apostolic Church- Ghana, admonished Christians to pray to uproot corruption in Ghana. (See: Christians must pray to uproot corruption in Ghana- www. ghanaweb.com). The absurdity inherent in this innocuous spiritual call by the respected parson stems from his inability to call those who are steeped in corruption to repent from their evil deed.

I definitely will be the last person to jettison the existence of the supernatural and naively claim the world is just as it is; or belittle the power of prayer so far as God is concerned. But we cannot also lose cognisance of the truth that man has the capacity to use the brain to sail out of difficult challenges that are not beyond human capabilities.

That is why Kwaku Bonsam’s view is somewhat gibberish to me. We cannot deplete the ozone layer through heavy industrial emissions into the atmosphere, clear the forest without resorting to vigorous tree planting exercises and expect not to bear the brunt of our negligence.

It is my candid view that religion or superstition cannot correct the mess created by the carelessness and ineptitude of human beings. In other words, any society that tends to ride on the back of superstition or resort to supernatural elements to explain artificial or self inflicted challenges is bound to be crippled by debt and poverty.

For instance, Germany after the First World War was in dire economic distress. During the Weimer inflation, a lot of Germans used to carry huge amounts of money in wheelbarrows just to buy essential commodities. It is on record that it cost a million marks to mail a letter.

But history tells us the managers of the German economy as of that time never blamed or related their woes to a god or any supernatural entity. They reasoned and acted out of their woes. As a result, before the Second World War, Germany had become an economic power house.

Therefore, not too long a time, when Ghana’s cedi was experiencing a free fall in terms of its value, I could not help but be awestruck when certain religious leaders were religiously commanding the arrest of the cedi. The sad thing was that intellectuals within officialdom who knew the remote cause of the problem were vigorously urging the cedi to be exorcised as if a demon had attacked it.

The last storm that rocked the boat was Anita De Sooso’s (now a Deputy National Coordinator of NADMO) assertion that dwarfs had triggered the depreciation of the cedi. How on earth can this be? I should think that since she has the capacity to diagnose the cedi’s predicament, she also has the know-how to arrest those dwarfs. The last time that I checked the forex, one needed close to three cedis to get a dollar and about four cedis to get one Euro. As for the pounds, the least said about it, the better.

The time has come for us as a people to get serious by not hiding behind religion or supernatural effusions to cover our incompetence and laziness. God created us to apply the wisdom He has given us to solve everyday challenges as other countries have done.

Of a truth, the black man’s dilemma beyond attitudinal malaise has always been that any misfortune is the making of an enemy or an evil spirit. The need to take stock of or take a deep assessment of what really led to the misfortune is treated as a back burner matter.

No wonder we blame former colonial overlords for our present woes and later return to them pleading profusely to assist us monetarily when our government creates huge budget deficits that have no positive bearing in the lives of the poor Ghanaian.

Until we get to the point where we become responsible for our irresponsible actions and act responsibly by being prudent with the limited resources God has bestowed on us, Ghana will always be dictated to by foreigners as a result of the fact that our leaders have refused to reason progressively.

The era of always attributing our woes to the gods, non existing entities or individuals in the twenty first century is over. Our destiny lies in our own hands; all it takes is for our leaders to use their intellectual competence to progressively not selfishly accelerate the development of the economy. And I am cocksure the heavens will not be our limit but a celestial springboard to economic freedom and technological advancement.

SOURCE: OKOFO-DARTEY SAMUEL

E-MAIL: sodesq2000@yahoo.com