Letter to the Ghanaian.

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• John Daniels -Legon 11 years ago

  Mr. Hardi,
  I am afraid most of what you have said is generally false. However it has become so widespread as a mantra that a large number of people actually believe it to be true. In fact there is ABSOLUTELY no blueprint to ...
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  Mr. Hardi,
  I am afraid most of what you have said is generally false. However it has become so widespread as a mantra that a large number of people actually believe it to be true. In fact there is ABSOLUTELY no blueprint to SUCCESS or FAILURE.Simply because almost every event of life is random. You see what you classify as success or failure can depend on so many variables. Most of these variables are beyond anyone control.
  Here are some very simple examples:
  Take a Nurse, a Catholic Priest, and young unemployed man/woman in Tamale.
  Give them or better still observe them in their daily habits (this experiment was first conducted in Germany in 1933 and has been repeated in many forms in different places). At the end of a suitable period of time, the success or failure of each of them comes down to factors that are STILL COMPLETELY RANDOM.
  That is why for instance it is difficult to reproduce success in the children of successful people. How many children of Great Men are themselves great? How many Rawlingses are there? Bill Gates?
  What you have described is called "Inverse Bayesian Phenomenon". In lay man's terms, it is easy to see or preach/prescribe success or failure after it has happened. All habits, behaviour and character are subject to
  random state of nature.

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• OZA 11 years ago

  Not only false, but have been repeated so many times. They have become the old man's cliche.

  Not only false, but have been repeated so many times. They have become the old man's cliche.

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• Nana Kwame 11 years ago

  Are you suggesting therefore,John Daniels, that one should still maintain a particular attitude to life, if one does not make any progress in ones life with that attitude?

  Are you suggesting therefore,John Daniels, that one should still maintain a particular attitude to life, if one does not make any progress in ones life with that attitude?

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• John Daniels -Legon 11 years ago

  Nana Kwame,
  Absolutely not. Just that one should always to do one's best at all times. Find inner peace and contentment when you are doing that ( i.e. giving it your best). Just do not use other peoples outcomes and stories ...
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  Nana Kwame,
  Absolutely not. Just that one should always to do one's best at all times. Find inner peace and contentment when you are doing that ( i.e. giving it your best). Just do not use other peoples outcomes and stories as a measure of your success or failure.
  My point about these ideas ( popularized by Steven Convey's habits) are simply that they only provide a historical summary of what has been "selectively" observed. They basically have little bearing on what happens in future.

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• Military Man 11 years ago

  Ibrahim,
  
  What is all this ranting about?
  
  I think your piece would have served its purpose if you had entitled it "How Human Nature can be shaped by one's surroundings".
  
  I'm not sure what your intentions were when you ...
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  Ibrahim,
  
  What is all this ranting about?
  
  I think your piece would have served its purpose if you had entitled it "How Human Nature can be shaped by one's surroundings".
  
  I'm not sure what your intentions were when you started writing this piece because you seem like you got confused close to the end especially the dedication to those names you mentioned.
  
  Are you trying to tell readers that people are jealous and critical of those folks because of their success?
  
  Well...if that is the case, then you are completely off the mark with the inclusion of one name..... JJ Rawlings, unless you were being sarcastic.
  
  You think JJ was someone who looked at people with good intentions? I'm not sure how old you were when as a young FLT. LT he burst onto the Ghanaian political scene spouting off his 'good intentions' and 'lofty ideas' on how he was going to help GHANA to clean up all the corruption?
  
  Well... what happened during the process of cleaning up the corruption? He became a tyrant and he and his maurauding team of killers murdered and maimed a lot of people he was simply jealous of. Those he couldn't get at, he ran them out of the country.
  His criteria for for filtering out those who were actually corrupt got 'muddied' by his jealousy of rich people who had actually made their money cleanly with no tint of corruption whatsoever but through hard work.
  Anyone who had a little more than 50,000 Cedis in his or her bank account automatically became a corrupt individual and God help that person if he/she was privately running a successful business or company.
  His jealousy of successful people knew no bounds. He became 'GOD' and could order someone killed because he had the power and why do you think that was? It was because of the surrounding he found himself in. He had the ultimate power. So now do you see why I suggested earlier that your piece should have been entiltled "HOW HUMAN NATURE CAN BE SHAPED BY ONE'S SURROUNDINGS"?
  Even long after his 'killing spree' years and the so-called 'maturity' into 'statemanship' what do we make of his attacks on Kuffour at every opportunity or inopprtunity (as the case may be) except for his jealousy of the fact that Kuffour seemed to have been embraced on the world political stage and he (Rawlings) seems to still wallowing in his ghetto 'crabs-in-a bucket' mentality?.
  While I'm not a big fan of Kuffour and for that matter, all African politicians except Kwame Nkrumah, his attacks on Kuffour should tell you that you chose the wrong guy to be one of the recipients of your piece's special dedication . Unless of course you were being sarcastic like I said earlier.
  I've been out of the country for a very long period so I'm not sure what to make of the other people you mentioned in your dedication because I don't know very much about them but if they are friends of Rawlings' and they happen to be in the same league as JJ, then your piece is full of more contradictions than I initially thought. Going by the saying that "birds of the same feathers flock together", I would say my suspicion just might be correct.
  
  "Empower yourself today with the education you deserve to live the life you want!." That was from you and it makes me wonder whether you are just being myopic in your views or you actually know what's going on in Ghana. Did you read the story about Ghanaian school kids in a classroom using cement blocks as seats and tables? Did you see the picture?
  How pathetic and heartwrenching is that?
  57 YEARS after independence!! All those people you dedicated your piece to especially, Rawlings could have made a big difference in the lives of these unfortunate school kids because they were/are in positions to have provided better classrooms for every single Ghanaian kid to be able to get a good education.
  
  So in that environment that these unfortunate kids find themselves, do you honestly think your piece did them justice? How can they empower themselves with the education they deserve when the ruling elite of which Rawlings was/is a part of, has deprived these kids of the basic necessities of a classroom setting.
  So the surroundings that these kids find themselves in, will make them who they are. Poor and un-educated.
  
  So you see, your topic was all wrong and self-serving for the dedicated names. It was full of contradictions.
  
  Don't just follow blindly.
  Be realistic to yourself and the Ghanaians you want to address issues with. Just saying.
  
  
  GOD HELP GHANA!!!!!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Also, your last paragragh TALKED A

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• Kojo T 11 years ago

  Of course I expected the diatribe from you the moment JJ name came up. What about the attributes he mentioned This is typical of you negative people who will use one thing for your purpose to shhot down good things talk of N ...
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  Of course I expected the diatribe from you the moment JJ name came up. What about the attributes he mentioned This is typical of you negative people who will use one thing for your purpose to shhot down good things talk of Nkrumah and the haters will talk about dictatorship. What about the myriad of successes he chalked but they will say he did NOTHING . What is nothing? Universities and a dam to power the nation to wit . same with JJ . Ghana was in REVERSE gear and he stabilized and finally got us going again . Stop the hate anmd give praise where it is due . Those are the hall marks of successful people. Do you think Bill gates got there by hating? He saw change and took it Just accept change for it will take place

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• Fiifican 11 years ago

  Kojo,
  
  Are you sure you know what you are talking about putting Nkrumah and JJ as equals? This has got to be a mis-statement of the century!!
  
  If you think I'm a critic of Nkrumah, then you haven't read any comments of ...
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  Kojo,
  
  Are you sure you know what you are talking about putting Nkrumah and JJ as equals? This has got to be a mis-statement of the century!!
  
  If you think I'm a critic of Nkrumah, then you haven't read any comments of mine regarding the THE GREATEST AFRICAN POLITICIAN EVER, in this forum. It was because of him that I and people in my age group got some of the best education one could ask for. I 'worship' the great man.
  
  I don't see even 0.0001% of the traits that Nkrumah had in Rawlings so I think you went overboard equating the two and you know it.
  
  Has it occurred to you that the problems that Ghana is facing right now have their roots 26 years back?
  
  Every problem Ghana is facing has its roots beginning from Rawlings' time.
  Every successive government compounded the problems right after that. So these problems are the cumulative effect of Rawlings' and Kuffour's governance of the country. Mahama just inherited these problems and this clown is not helping himself and things by being clueless and surrounding himself with a corrupt and thieving brigade.
  
  Rawlings is not close to being in Bill Gates' class so I'm not even going to comment on that. One thing I can say though, is that Bill is very philantropic in his everyday life. He's not a murderer of innocent people or other rich people he is 'jealous' of

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• Military Man 11 years ago

  Kojo,
  
  Are you sure you know what you are talking about putting Nkrumah and JJ as equals? This has got to be the mis-statement of the century!!
  
  If you think I'm a critic of Nkrumah, then you haven't read any comments o ...
  read full comment

  Kojo,
  
  Are you sure you know what you are talking about putting Nkrumah and JJ as equals? This has got to be the mis-statement of the century!!
  
  If you think I'm a critic of Nkrumah, then you haven't read any comments of mine regarding the THE GREATEST AFRICAN POLITICIAN EVER, in this forum. It was because of him that I and people in my age group got some of the best education one could ask for. I 'worship' the great man.
  
  I don't see even 0.0001% of the traits that Nkrumah had in Rawlings so I think you went overboard equating the two and you know it.
  
  Has it occurred to you that the problems that Ghana is facing right now have their roots 26 years back?
  
  Every problem Ghana is facing has its roots beginning from Rawlings' time.
  Every successive government after that compounded the problems right after that and Rawlings had the longest reign as military ruler and a civilian.
  So these problems are the cumulative effect of Rawlings' and Kuffour's governance of the country. Mahama just inherited these problems and this clown is not helping himself and things by being clueless and surrounding himself with a corrupt and thieving brigade.
  
  Rawlings is not close to being in Bill Gates' class so I'm not even going to comment on that. One thing I can say though, is that Bill is very philantropic in his everyday life. He's not a murderer of innocent people or other rich people he is 'jealous' of.
  
  I'm all for a change because if it were not for changes, the world would still be stuck in the 'dark ages' where humans will still be walking on all fours.
  
  Things evolve so changes are a major part of life but remember that the character of the change is what is the most important part of the whole process.
  
  Have a good day, Kofi and enjoy your 'Junior Jesus'. An abomination at that!

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• Yaa Adoma 11 years ago

  This hardi guy is as confused as the people he is touting.Anyhow, you can come up with any crackpot theory you want since SOMEBODY made possible for you to be educated FREE. Many souls lack this. A girl took her life a couple ...
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  This hardi guy is as confused as the people he is touting.Anyhow, you can come up with any crackpot theory you want since SOMEBODY made possible for you to be educated FREE. Many souls lack this. A girl took her life a couple of ago for want of school fees.

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• Yaa Adoma 11 years ago

  a couple of days ago

  a couple of days ago

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• GoatEater 11 years ago

  Question is: HOW DOES ONE DEFINE SUCCESS ??? In trying to answer this question, it should become clear that habits are irrelevant. Things like LUCK and ENVIRONMENT play a bigger role, Mr Hardi. Please check urself b4 u wreck ...
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  Question is: HOW DOES ONE DEFINE SUCCESS ??? In trying to answer this question, it should become clear that habits are irrelevant. Things like LUCK and ENVIRONMENT play a bigger role, Mr Hardi. Please check urself b4 u wreck urself.

  reply