A National Critical Thinking Programme: For Real Change

I have been told by friends that the change through the election outcome has positive implications for all facets of Ghanaian endeavours. Whether they stated that in jest or in seriousness, I have not yet fathomed. I am not very old, but I know that change, conditioned upon critical perspective and positive actions only, yields real difference. Therefore, a mere change in government does not mean there will be real changes for improvement in the state, unless change is actually targeted.

However, the contemporary Ghanaian society has been subjected to so much disregard for hard work, order and discipline that one wonders how it can manage the intellectual adjustment critical for the hoped for change. That goes beyond exchanging one political party for another, or making certain drastic moves in national structures. It is about mobilizing a citizenry conscientious enough to place humanity first. If leadership and followers would be motivated by community interests rather than selfish gains, if the residents would work for long-term benefits rather than for immediate stomach needs, if we collectively grasped that the deliberate errors against the nation and environment we commit today would confront us in our old age and continue for centuries after we have left this world, we would actually pursue diligence, honesty, justice, frugality, patience, environmental protection, sustainable development, to name eight agencies that can dictate positive change.

I am often labelled an idealist, but even I never delude myself into believing that there is perfection in this world. I only insist that we all refrain from compromising the principles that constitute the moral fibre of our society. And that we can do. If we did that, the magnitude of our errors would not be so overwhelming as to submerge our entire society in the quagmire of primitive behaviour, as it pertains in the current lawless environment. To inch our way out of the quagmire, we need a national critical thinking programme.

We do not have – nor desire – perfect people in this country, but we have brave personalities – analytical professionals, objective in outlook, appreciably disciplined personalities – who can spearhead such a programme to the most desirable levels. Handlers of that programme should be among those pillars of personalities who work assiduously to nurture human potential for the nation. They should not only be intelligent elders, but they should have that refreshing ability to wield a double-edged sword with which they constructively critique, compliment, correct and recommend all agencies for good works. I know Ghanaians who fit that bill to perfection.

Let me reiterate that a national critical thinking programme would not need to feature perfect individuals. Rather, it would need personalities who have led exemplary lives. Those who practice what they preach. They can admit that they are wrong and make amends. They empathise. They fear God, believe in and respect fellow human beings. Above all, they are impartial, human focused, community-oriented. In other words, we still have conscientious ones among us, even if they constitute a minority. Due to that minority, this nation has not completely sunk into an abyss of utter decadence. Let me explain a bit.

The week after elections, I listened to a radio programme on campaign promises and what possibly motivated Ghanaians to vote the way they did. When the point about tax cuts was raised, one of the panellists, a popular journalist, a political activist, or may be a sycophant, a member of a pressure group and a host of a talk show declared nonchalantly that the elected party promised tax cuts, so we are waiting to see how they would achieve that feat. Another panellist from the ruling party took a similar stand. In other words, they are not involved; it’s the others’ duty.

More often than not, the average Ghanaian attitude towards issues pertaining to the nation is not based on rational assessment or long-term societal benefits. Rather, it is determined by a person’s religious, cultural, socio-political affiliations, to mention these. Religion and politics have blinded the ordinary Ghanaian so much that horrible atrocities are swept under the carpet by misplaced kindness. Complicity is the order of the day.

I have been taught that societal structures are established per operational rules and regulations in order that society can function. Residents make the rules and regulations operational so that normalcy can reign. Following that logic, our national dilemma begins where such rules are flouted with impunity, mostly, by the very agencies that ought to ensure the implementation of the regulations. For example, students do not want to study, yet they want top marks. What is worse, unscrupulous teachers are willing to dash marks in order to pacify such misguided students.   

Our work force has become a jungle where primitive behaviour – sheer aggression, tardiness, waste and cheating are endorsed by key personalities, and emulated by the young. Those who have oversight responsibilities are terrified of rewarding good performance and penalising wrong doing. In fact, quite often those who do the right thing become pariah, but individuals and groups who indulge in great misdeeds are respected. Such conduct has permeated the whole society, so the nation has become a jungle.

Sycophancy has completely besieged our society, so non-performing officers are honourable personalities. Instead of serving the masses, leaders are rather worshipped. The latter cannot be wrong. Regardless of their actions or inactions, they will be fanatically supported by a cross-section of society. I am not implying that Ghanaians have monopolised sycophancy; I am stressing that we have deliberately encouraged such outrageous behaviour to the most nauseous levels. And it all boils down to sating immediate needs, while utterly sacrificing future benefits.

Through the current misdeeds of the average citizenry, we are collectively negating our very humanity. Intelligent human beings do things to benefit themselves, yet we are engaging in works that harm us and our environment. We waste or divert resources and heighten hunger, poverty and diseases in the country. We bypass regulations and destroy the environment. We flout rules and endanger lives, only to turn and blame others. Amidst such a perfidious environment, we are hoping for a change, from one person.

A national critical thinking programme can heighten awareness of the destructive path we have been treading. It would sensitize residents to the treachery we stand to reap. It would showcase good works and demonstrate how such can be replicated. Yes, let us sound the strongest alarm that we are the only collective agents that can turn things in the right direction. Indeed, we cannot change every Ghanaian, but we can motivate the misled to turn to good works. I am initiating this programme. Collaborators?