What was supposed to be a father’s joy nearly turned into mourning when an elderly man suddenly collapsed upon receiving 30,000 Ghana cedis as a present from his teenage son. It took hours to resuscitate him. Probably, this man in all his years of work has never set eyes on 3,000 Ghana cedis and seeing his little son make a show of such an amount was inconceivable. He just couldn’t stand it. The quest for wealth is on the rise such that some choose to sacrifice anything including their very lives for it. I once chanced upon a dying young man in a posh Toyota corolla. He was weak and vomiting copiously whiles in the company of four colleagues who were trying to save his life. Surprisingly, not only were they out of cash for hospital, they were also without fuel in that expensive car they were riding.
This suicidal philosophy of “get rich or die trying” is to say that dying in the process of making it big financially is better than remaining poor or average on acceptable livelihood. That is to say life is not worth living without money.
Clearly, one of society’s ills in this 21 century is extreme quest for materialism and money, which is best termed avarice. In today’s society where wealth is mistakenly esteemed over any other thing, the good old adage “good name is better than riches”, which used to guide people against evil, has now been thrown to the dogs in our society.
For many today, life is all about money and fame. These in the view of many give power and influence which is a hot commodity of society today. I am not in any way trying to demonize money and neither am I promoting mediocrity; far from these. It is important to note that money is good and makes life better. The Bible and Koran both approve of work and money. The problem arises when life is reduced to money and fame with a mindset that money is the answer and solution to life challenges. It is a mistake, a myth and a fallacy and for those who still hold to this myopic idea, I challenge them to look closely at some stars, rich and famous people who end their lives through suicide, drug abuse among others.
This indoctrinated idea of money being everything which has taken a firm root in the society has succeeded in grooming a much more perverse cohort of young people who are prepared to go all length at destroying others and even themselves at getting rich. It is therefore not surprising that many young people today see fraud and robbery as a better and a rewarding alternative to schooling and other acceptable economic ventures. Unfortunately, this unacceptable path of seeking riches is so fleeting, self damaging and often deadly. For the Bible, the good old book of all times, sternly warns that “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”- Proverbs 14:12. There is obviously, no shortcut to life.
Secondly, this erroneous belief that money is everything, has not only dictated the choice of leaders in political cycles, but also traditional rulers and more unfortunately leaders in our religious cycles. In political cycles, one’s ability to win power depends to a large extent on the person’s ability to spend. But a society that solely places premium on money leaving all other qualities is obviously on the path of decay. Even though money is good for every good thing, societal attitude towards money has succeeded in propelling some social and moral misfits into leadership positions, which in turn pose threat to society. As we go into another election this year, what will inform your vote? Will it be a preconceived mindset? Will it be money? or messages and credibility of candidates? My advice is that we should raise the standards beyond money to candidates’ credibility and ability to deliver.
Let uphold integrity and eschew this societal canker which is further deepening disrespect for elderly and disregard for authority in society and fast eroding our values as Africans. How do you expect a Junior High student, who spends thousands of dollars to respect a teacher, who depends on a meager salary? Let us rise up against this menace and embrace good values that give meaning to life and build a better society, for no matter how we think, the adage, ‘good name is better than riches’ still prevails.
Mawuena, Emmanuel Kwasi
Kdarkwa2002@yahoo.co.uk
Accra