A GNA Feature by Rex Annan

Accra, July 13, GNA - It has become necessary to draw attention to the ubiquitous billboards littering in the urban landscape of Ghana, particularly the ones that invite its patrons, supposedly the young and upwardly mobile professionals to come to where there is flavour.

Beneath the fa=E7ade of that invitation are the bold letters warning would be patrons that the product on offer is in fact, poison, and that the product, in real terms, poses a mortal danger to the health of anyone who attempts to honour the invitation.

One is here dealing with the business of paradoxes, and so must keep the subject in focus. The product in question is tobacco in cigarette form, a known addictive product that has been linked with numerous diseases and death.

It would of course have been more convenient, in the domain of public interest, to simply decree the poison out of existence, since the Ministry of Health has in its opinion certified the same to be dangerous, and indeed, offensive to public health. That, of course, will be uncivilised or against the gains of civilisation. The above illustration is to exemplify the real paradox of civilisation. Ones observation of the dynamics of society disposes one to draw a lot of guidance and indeed justification from the Bible. This is not only because it is the very basis of existence, it is in fact the only authentic source through which mankind can navigate the labyrinth, which has characterised attempts to bring some order, and impose some meaning into existence.

Actually, civilisation is accepted as man's quest for the highest ideals, social, moral, scientific, technological among other things in governing its environment, a quest, which carries in its wake intended or unintended consequences and forebodings for humanity.

Modern civilisation is a historical fall-out of the socio-economic processes and dynamics that unfolded in Western Europe, particularly driven by the industrial revolution of the 19th century. This, as it were, has redefined the love values, tastes and behavioural conducts of people who now indulge in civilised standards of behaviour. Instinctively, the academic community, particularly the university, is the hot bed of civilised conduct.

More often than not, these preferred or newly acquired civilised patterns of behaviour are in contradiction with good moral values that border on decency, decorum, modesty and integrity.

Even as much as one accepted the fact that man's quest after civilisation had brought tremendous and far reaching changes to the face of the earth, one cannot, but sincerely accept the fact that this quest had equally brought in its wake, monumental paradoxes, which simply boggled the mind. Inhabitants of the planet have succumbed to the push and pull of the technological age or advancement and this has consequently compromised cherished moral, social and religious values.

The University Campuses

Zeroing in on the university environment in Ghana, one could say that the quest for civilisation has equally affected the culture and tradition of the academic community.

Simply put, a university is a centre for learning and research, above every other consideration but one must be bold enough to accept that looking at the comportment of students, their dressing and general outlook, one might run away with the impression that one was within an environment where a beauty pageant was taking place.

At the risk of offending the sensibilities of some people one would wish to state unequivocally that skimpy and semi-nude dresses worn by both sexes, represent a monstrous assault on decent academic culture and a major unnecessary irritant to the quest for real university education, which to all intents and purposes, is a serious business.

What is wrong with moderate, yet presentable dressing by prospective leaders who ought to provide appropriate definitive models of our time-honoured values and morals? In many higher institutions today, what one witnesses sometimes is a travesty and mockery of civilised conduct.

These are made manifest in the high incidence of pornographic indulgences, which are a debasement of moral chastity, prostitution and indecent dressing and Internet vices.

Apart from this, there are several street corner activities on campuses, which are completely inimical to the well being of a university. One is tempted to believe that as institutions expand their frontiers of learning, especially in this clime, so do they advertently or inadvertently carry along sub-cultures and tendencies, which tend to circumscribe the crave for knowledge and learning generally.

The Conundrum of Life

On a broad scale, one is presented here with the foretaste of the unending tale of paradoxes. On one hand, one would be talking of the giant strides by humanity in the quest to bring to bear on living conditions, the gains of knowledge and civilisation on the one end, while at the other end of the pole, the very nature of civilisation preclude humanity from appreciating any merit in such issues as justice, equality and human rights.

Really, the very conditions, the state of civilisation, would nonetheless explain why the notion of superior and inferior beings came into existence.

For the purpose of emphasis, man's insatiable quest for knowledge is something that the Bible had long recognised as inherent in the human nature.

The other side of the coin is, of course, that civilisation will continue to advance in the manner that mankind will continue to refine, or even redefine his values, irrespective of material conditions. At this point, it is crystal clear that civilisation is not just now the simple matter of economics, but the totality of the technology and the cultures to which it gives rise.

Today, in a so-called civilised world, the debate as to what constitutes the perimeter fence of what is civilised and the discussion on the right of life, the choices are not and what is barbaric is not always as clear cut as it should be.

Now, in the age of human rights, debates on social justice, and the discussion on the right choices are not and what is barbaric is not always as clear cut as it should in fact constitute for instance, a woman's right to informed choice to terminate unwanted pregnancy or the moral question of the right of the unborn baby to live. Or even the moral dilemma of euthanasia or mercy killing? Or even the contentious debates on death penalty.