By Ghana News
Copyright ghananewss
By Ing. Richard Mawuli Amegatse
The realities of life are so harsh that it demands you arm yourself with every advantage you can collect. The human heart is so wicked that nature itself often favors cruelty over mercy and unkindness over compassion. Even in the Bible, Jeremiah 17:9 states that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? If you doubt me, watch the Animal Kingdom and see how stronger animals pounce on weaker ones. Shouldn’t that strong and majestic lion pity that weak antelope? Rather, the lion sees the antelope as food, and the weaker the antelope is, the happier the lion becomes. Life can be cruel and unfair, rewarding the undeserving while neglecting those who truly deserve it.
People who need help are often not helped, but those who don’t require it are the ones who are helped. To navigate this unforgiving world, you must adopt a resilient mindset, and you must always keep in mind that no one is going to save you—your life is in your own hands. By embracing life as your sole responsibility, you’ll confront its challenges; you won’t be looking for a Messiah to rescue you. Your destiny becomes your own forge, free from expectation and dependent solely on your determination. Sometimes people do not understand me; they think I am stoic, they think I am emotionless. But I was lucky enough to learn the realities of life from a very early age through personal experiences, so I am not deluded. I also learned the reality of life when I lost my parents. Those I thought would protect me because I was vulnerable rather exposed me to more danger. Those I thought would help me didn’t; they rather made me feel miserable. Those I thought would be there for me betrayed me.
I thought when my neck was breaking someone would help me carry the load, but I realised they instead gave me more load and pressed harder on my neck. It took resilience, perseverance, and a strong mind and heart to break through extremely difficult situations. And after I broke through, I decided to take life by the horns. Since that day, I made myself the center of my life, and everything changed. One of the most valuable lessons I learned after those difficult times was to gather advantages in life. So I made a solemn pledge to myself that I would flip every disadvantage into an advantage, and there were times when the advantages I gathered were all that stood between me and ruin. Without them, my path would have been vastly different, perhaps even inconsequential. Look! Just as in the animal kingdom where strong animals pounce on weak ones, people who have advantages oppress those who don’t.
Even today, some people are still trapped in indentured servitude, coerced to serve others for life, and their children and grandchildren continue the cycle. This perpetual servitude keeps them from attaining their true potential. The situation is even more challenging among us Africans, aka ko-darky. It’s very difficult for “ko-darky” to elevate another above themselves, a mindset deeply ingrained in our psychology. A story was told about a brilliant boy who approached his uncle to sponsor his master’s degree. His uncle looked at his face and said, “I don’t have a degree myself, but you want me to sponsor you for a master’s?” His uncle made a drama with him, refused to help, and even made it look like it was a crime for him to ask for that help. Yeah! That’s how “ko-darky” reasons—you won’t be elevated above them.
Observe Ghanaian chiefs very well: they adorn themselves with ornaments and are carried on a palanquin, right on the heads of the very people they are supposed to serve. So get it straight—“ko-darky” is unlikely to help you beyond their self-interest. Any assistance you receive will likely come with conditions, and they might quickly abandon you if they feel they’re losing control of you. You must be below, so that they are on top. In Ghana, the very person helping you could be the very one sabotaging you. The Akans call this Odumfokumfo. So please, make sure you gather all the advantages you can in life. You need to ensure you’re as highly educated as possible; otherwise, those who are—rather than using their education to help you—might use it to intimidate you. And when choosing your education and course of study, aim for the most prestigious, so that no one can intimidate or silence you.
True story: when I was reading Environmental Science at KNUST, I was once at the senior members’ clubhouse where a group of engineering, pharmacy, medical, and social science lecturers were drinking beer and conversing. All of a sudden, the social science lecturer said something that the medical lecturer did not like. The medical lecturer belittled him, saying, “When we were studying engineering, medicine, and pharmacy, where were you? You were dancing agbadzaa at Legon. Keep quiet!”—a form of classism. Meanwhile, he couldn’t shut down the engineering and pharmacy lecturers who were equally spewing nonsense. Although what the medical lecturer did was wrong, as they were all colleagues, the situation reflects the reality of life: some people will only associate with you if they think you’re on their level or pedigree. When I saw that, the very next semester I changed my course from Environmental Science to Petroleum Engineering. Immediately I did that, my circle upgraded significantly. It’s not fair, but that’s life. So always strive to be among the best people in whatever you do. Aim to be among the top individuals because you’ll regret it if you don’t.
Some people are so petty that as soon as they advance, they cut ties and form new associations at their new level. I’m not like that; I still keep in touch with my classmates, even those who dropped out of JHS, and old friends. But I know people who are like that. Ask those whose friends no longer answer their calls after getting political appointments. Seeing how cruel society is—where even people who get 9-to-5 jobs suddenly look down on their jobless colleagues they are supposed to help—I’ve decided to gather all the advantages in life. When it’s a rich person’s birthday, even poor people give them gifts. But if it’s a poor person’s birthday, even their fellow poor people don’t give anything. If a poor person steals food when hungry, they’re imprisoned for years, but when a politician with connections steals state resources, impoverishing many, the Attorney General himself suggests a “plea bargain”. Have you seen that when you vote for politicians, the first thing they change is their cars before fixing the roads? Have you seen their children becoming shɛpɛɛ—traveling abroad, up and down—while the ordinary person suffers? Yes, that’s life.
Gather advantages in life; those who do will oppress you otherwise. Don’t vote expecting a politician to change your destiny; they’ll prioritise themselves and their families, leaving you with nothing. If you qualify, pick up a form and contest during elections too. No one wins an election 100%; even unopposed, someone will vote against you, so don’t be afraid. Those who contest aren’t better or holier than you; they’re just bold. Marry a beautiful wife or handsome husband; those who did aren’t better, just bold. Make money and become rich; those who have money aren’t better. Seek power and become influential; those with power aren’t better. Don’t act as if you need permission to live your life—you don’t. Act boldly. If someone messes with you, mess with them; we all have blood flowing through us. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Get your passport and travel the world; those who see the world aren’t better. Don’t let anyone intimidate you. If you are also an employer, there’s nothing wrong with it—take the risk and invest in a business.
Don’t limit yourself to your family situation; push beyond your family or village limitations. My father’s highest education level was secondary school, but even after losing my parents, I pursued a master’s and have a pending PhD. When my father died, I was in my first year of university. If your father built a self-contained house, build a mansion. If the village chief dislikes you, build a palace bigger than his and live there with your people. There’s no law preventing you from building a palace if you can afford it. If your father bought a car, aim for a private jet. If your father was an employee, you can be a business owner. My father only traveled abroad once in his life. I’m still counting, and I will see every corner of the world before I die. Don’t let others set barriers for you: break them and soar higher than they can imagine.
For me, since I realized the realities of life, I am aggressive about gathering advantages in life. I know if I don’t help myself, no one will. And if I fall behind and I am down, others will step on me instead of lifting me up, because I see it happen to people every day. But if I get the chance too, I want to lift others up and I want to lift people higher than myself, because I know if I don’t do it, no one will help them.
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