PEDESTRIANS, PASSENGERS AND DRIVERS

LIFE is a journey. We move from the point of birth to the point of death. Many of us embark on this journey of life in different capacities and categories. There are pedestrians, passengers and drivers. As you travel through the road of life, it is crucial that you come to terms with the traits of each of these categories of people and decide where you fall.

PEDESTRIANS
TAKE a look at any highway and you’ll see pedestrians. A pedestrian is a person who travels on foot, especially in an area also used by cars. Pedestrians don’t walk in the middle of the road. They avoid getting in the way of the cars on the road. Even when they have to cross the road, they wait for the cars to stop or pass by before they cross. Because of risks and potential dangers on the road, they spend most of their time on the side lines. Some pedestrians specialise in commenting on how people drive and so on.

Likewise, on the highway of life you will find those who walk on the side lines. They like to play it safe. They do not participate in the important issues of life. They like to mind their own business. They believe that if they get involved, they would be knocked down by the cars on the road. Pedestrians are apathetic, unimaginative and uninspired. They play in the realm of conservatism and don’t take initiatives. Worse, they spend a chunk of their time criticising, instead of contributing to what others are doing.

PASSENGERS
PASSENGERS travel in a motor vehicle, train, aircraft or ship, but do not drive or belong to the crew. Nevertheless, they are among those who operate on the highway of life. Typically, passengers sit in a vehicle and end up at wherever the vehicle will deposit them. They do not control the functioning, direction and speed of the vehicle they travel in. But you see, any accident that occurs will have an impact on them.

In a wider perspective, passengers are persons who seemingly participate in life but do not influence the course of events. These are people who only enjoy what is available without making any additions to life. Passengers do not initiate change, progress and development. They just flow with the tide. Any society that is full of passengers will not experience meaningful progress. Such a society will always be at the mercy of their environment.

DRIVERS
ANYBODY can be a pedestrian or passenger. No special skills or qualifications are required to be on the side lines of the street as a pedestrian or get on board a vehicle as a passenger. But then when it comes to driving, one has to attain a minimum legal age, learn the skills of driving and get certified by the licensing authority. This is because driving is no joke. It is serious business. If a driver messes up, it could have devastating effects on the pedestrians, passengers, the driver, the vehicle involved and the wider society.

Drivers call the shots in every society. These are the people we call leaders. They are the movers and shakers of our world. They make things happen. Without such people society will be static, if not retrogressive. If there are no leaders in the society, there will be no meaningful progress. People who take time to develop themselves are able to drive society towards its aspirations.

If everybody decides to be a pedestrian or passenger, how do you think our society will be? It would probably mean that we would all be looking at each other and hoping that somebody would take a step. But if everybody decides to drive, it would imply that everybody is controlling their own destination and influencing an aspect of society. In a vehicle, it is the driver who determines the destination of the vehicle and thus the passengers.

ARE YOU…?
THIS is my task for you. Spend some time alone and consider whether you are a pedestrian, passenger or driver. Assess what your view of life is. Do you think that the government is responsible for your well-being? Or do you see yourself playing any role in life? Ask yourself these and many more questions and identify who you are.

© 2011 Terry Mante
Accra, Ghana

A visit to Abomey

ABOMEY is an ancient town located in the Central part of the West African nation of Benin. The town is well-known for its legendary history. The protagonist of this history is the 19th century King of Abomey; Gbehanzin. While on a linguistic tour of Benin, our team (which comprised a selection of students and facilitators from Alliance Française, Accra) paid a visit to the palace of this legendary King. The palace is recognised and maintained by UNESCO as one of its heritage sites.

Gbehanzin was a dreaded king whose authority was ceded in his military strength as well as spiritual prowess. He was reputed to have married over 3000 women and had countless biological offspring. According to our tour guide, Gbehanzin’s army comprised well-trained, heavily-built ladies known as Amazon. These women fought battles on behalf of the kingdom and were not allowed to marry.

We learnt (again from our tour guide) that the huge palace edifice was constructed using clay mixed with blood drawn from slaves. These slaves were made to knead the clay (mixed with broken bottles) with their bare feet and hands. The blood which oozed from the soles of their feet was used to mix the clay for the construction of the palace. Slaves did this until they ran out of blood.

We were taken round the entire palace to see some of the military and mystical relics of this kingdom. Gbehanzin ruled his kingdom with iron hands. Gbehanzin is the epitome of leaders who are only interested in tightening their grip on power and feeding their whims and caprices. Leaving the palace, I slipped into a pensive mood and asked myself a question, “What was the legacy of Gbehanzin?” I felt that Gbehanzin had not left a legacy that directly benefits the present generation of Abomey indigenes. He did not see his influential position as an opportunity to enrich the lives of the people he led. He was power as a tool for self-aggrandisement.

I left Abomey with a determination to use my advantages and privileges in life to make a positive impact in the lives of people I interact with. Leaders must use their influence to make society a better place.

How can one use power effectively to leave a lasting legacy?

1. Recognize that power comes from above, not from self. Every person with any form of authority over a group of people must realize that power is given by God. When we have power, we should not behave as mini gods. We don’t create power. We receive power. People who find themselves in leadership should aspire to use power as trustees and not as architects. If we don’t use our power well, we will lose it.

2. Realize that power is exercised on behalf of people, not over them. Power does not make us masters. It makes us servants. When you have power, you do not lord it over people. You use it to meet the needs and aspirations of people. Leaders must understand that the positions they occupy are positions of trust and privilege.

HAVE you ever come across this statement by 19th century journalist Margaret Fuller that “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles by it?” I would adjust the statement and say to you, “If you have opportunity, help others to create their own opportunities.” If you find yourself at the top, pull people to join you up there. If God blesses you with wealth, help others to be wealthy.

The Gbehanzins of this world perceive that the only way to shine is to keep everybody in darkness. They consider that their relevance in life comes from making others depend on them all the time. But I see that by helping others find their feet in life, we enhance our own capacity to construct an enduring legacy.

The non-Gbehanzins agree with Albert Einstein that “The value of people should be seen in what they give to the world, not in what they are able to receive.” Former President John Kennedy of the United States put Einstein’s view in another way, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” I say to you, “Don’t worry so much about what you will get in life. Be concerned about what you can give to life.” Instead of being a Gbehanzin, be a Kennedy or an Einstein. Better still, be you!


© 2011 Terry Mante
Accra, Ghana

IT'S A BIG DEAL

NOVEMBER 13, 2010. Myanmar’s pro-democracy opposition leader and human rights activist Aung San Su Kyi regained her freedom after seven continuous years under house arrest. Twenty-one years leading up to that time, Su Kyi had spent fifteen years of her life under house arrest. A couple of days after her release, I got the chance to watch an interview she granted the BBC. I must admit that the entire interview was very insightful and inspiring but a particular line struck me. The interviewer asked her, “How does it feel to be free again after seven years?” Her response captured what I consider to be imperative for human development and progress. She remarked, “I have always felt free because I had my books and I could listen to the BBC and read.”

What?! Seven years under house arrest and she always felt free? How is that possible? For Su Kyi, that was possible because she had access to knowledge and information – she could read her books and listen to the BBC. If you are exposed to relevant knowledge and information, you will never feel confined or limited in life. The way to rise above your limitation is to step up your knowledge base. If you want to progress beyond the current level of your life, then extending the boundaries of your knowledge is not an option. It is a must. You must give the acquisition and usage of knowledge an elevated position in your life. Your ignorance limits your horizon. You cannot progress beyond what you know.

So, if you are not learning, then you are limiting yourself. You cannot move beyond your current location to harness the boundless opportunities that exist in the world. As a matter of fact, before you can take advantage of any opportunity, you have to know about it. Then, you have to know what is needed to nib it in the bud. You see! If you don’t know, you can’t pursue.

Thus in today’s world, what you know and what you don’t know is a real BIG DEAL. You cannot achieve beyond the level of your knowledge. The reason you are behind is the information you don’t have. And it will take relevant knowledge to leap you from the back to the front. If you see yourself to be in front, it’s because you possess some knowledge that those behind don’t have. You must constantly update your knowledge to keep leading.

So, what constitutes your knowledge base? Four components – Information, insight, observation and experience.
1. Information. Each day of our lives, somebody tells us something, either directly or indirectly. We hear stuff from our family members, our friends, colleagues at work and mates in the classroom. We listen to the news, we read statements by politicians and journalists, and our pastors preach to us. When somebody tells you something, what you hear becomes part of what you know. Information is the knowledge we have in our heads. It refers to facts we have accumulated about phenomena, persons or places. It doesn’t matter what you believe. Once something is in your brain, it’s information; even if you’ve not seen any evidence.

2. Insight. Insight takes you deeper into what you already know. It processes information you already have and gives you understanding. Insight is the ability to see; except that you see not just with your natural eyes but with your mind’s eye as well. Seeing with your mind’s eye involves prying the surface to unravel the hidden meaning of an idea or concept. You do that by asking why, how, what, who, when and/or where. When you see something with your mind’s eye, it gives you understanding and helps you to establish a conviction. It carves your perspective.

3. Observation. When you look around, what do you see? What impression do you get? What ideas come to your mind? Do you get any inspiration? Things that happen around us can draw our minds to issues and phenomena we might never have considered. They open our eyes to opportunities we must harness and challenges to confront. You must not be in a place and close your eyes to things happening around. Be alert to your environment.

4. Experience. I was chilled when CNN named Anuradha Koirala as CNN Hero of the Year 2010. At age 9 or 10 (she’s not so sure), Koirala had been a victim of abuse and violence in a bad marriage. She managed to disentagle herself from the relationship and subsequently began a programme to rehabilitate girls and women who had been victims of trafficking, sexual molestation and abuse. Koirala's adverse experience has become her platform for engagement in life. It was in recognition of her commitment to expunging child trafficking and abuse that CNN acknowledged her as a hero. Experiences are real. It’s important that we don’t take our experiences for granted. They constitute an essential segment of our knowledge base. Let Anuradha Koirala be your hero too; let your experience build your knowledge package and inform your engagement in life.

THE educated or knowledgeable are people who pack information, open it up with their senses of perception and understanding and relate such knowledge with what is happening around them. Ultimately, such people test their knowledge through experience and application to their day-to-day endeavours.

© 2011 Terry Mante
Accra, Ghana