The probabilities are pretty good.
So finally I have persuaded myself to do it.
This weekend.
Mobbish group of friends are to blame.
This adventure sure to be nerve-whacking.
Already feeling the Adrenalin rush.
So here I hang my hormones on the ropes.
For I am going Bungee jumping.
Yahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Showing posts with label reasonableness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reasonableness. Show all posts
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Contemporary Ghanaian Contrivances
Living outside the borders of Ghana, as I do, one of the few self-preserving delusions I allow myself to harbor and indulge in regularly is this puritanical and idealistic image of Ghana and Ghanaians-the feel-good this-type-of-sh*t-can-never-happen-in-Ghana lines, refrains and pretences Ghanaians so love to carry like a badge of honour.
Perhaps, like many a Ghanaian, I have developed an image of Ghana largely based on false idealism- a hollow concept that places Ghana on an impeccable pedestal of high moral excellence.
On many occasions, I have found myself comparing the Ghanaian way of life to those of other people, cultures and value systems and puffing out my chest proudly in the belief that our way, the Ghanaian way, is far superior. I have always contented myself - that Ghanaians are not criminally minded as others; that the cases of teenage pregnancies in Ghana is below the continental average even though I do not have the facts to support such an assertion; that Ghanaians are a breed of hard-working geniuses; that Ghanaian men do not rape their women and girls; that our education system is one of the best, if not the best in the whole continent; that Ghanaians are the most friendly and peace-loving people in the entire world. . . . .I suppose that I am referring to my own irrational assumptions of Ghanaian exceptionalism.
I am perfectly aware of the fact that Ghana is far from this idyllic picture of perfection I have chosen to believe in, however I cannot seem to bring myself to admit that the view I hold of Ghana, when outside, is outright naive, unreasonable and even deceptive. Call it patriotism, nationalism or whatever you like.
Every time I am in Ghana, my idealist views come into sharp confrontation with what pertains in the real world of today's Ghana. But as soon as I am outside Ghana's borders, guess what, the same idiosyncratic mindset creeps in. So today I want to dwell on some Ghanaians peculiarities for a change.
This preconceived Ghanaian 'superiority complex' has got to go.
To accept an image of Ghana which is totally different from the enormously deficient one I have been carrying, I believe, is the beginning of a therapeutic release from my self-imposed idealism. So? ? ?
Here are a few of my observations regarding the absurd contrivances we so cherish and love to pursue.
Our funerals
We are a bunch who love entertainment. So we even trivialise the funerals of our departed ones and turn what is supposed to be solemn moments into mindless occasions for parties, where all sorts of debauchery are not only permitted but encouraged with glee. How we love to lavish attention on the dead as supposed to the living! No wonder funerals are the primary occasions where families and communities come together. In many cultures, a funeral is short and simple-solely built around bidding farewell to the dead.Nothing more nothing less.
Our cultural mindset is the opposite. We are always looking back such that we place obscene value on what is dead and past and not enough focus on the future, on our children, our jobs and our dreams.
Perhaps, it is a symptom of our collective fear of the future? So we hold unto the past?
Valentine day celebrations
Not only have we embrace the vanities of other cultures but have jump into them head first. A case in point is the celebration of valentine day. We have managed to take it to levels previously unheard of any where else. Husbands leaving their wives at home and splurging on mistresses and other people's wives with wanton gifts they cannot afford, whilst their children walk around in tattered clothes. Misplaced priorities.
Sakawa
The get-rich-quick by-all-means phenomenon of sakawa is another contrivance in Ghana today. We have perfected the science of swindling other people of their hard-earned money for our selfish use.
We have become a society gripped by the urgency of 'having, using and enjoying' instead of one concerned with 'doing, creating and becoming'. And the sad reality is that nobody bothers any more to ascertain the source of people's wealth.
To us wealth is wealth irrespective of the source and the processes involved in its acquisition. That is why many Ghanaians never bother to learn and develop the habits, skills and the value systems needed to create wealth for ourselves and our communities.
Disregard for integrity
We are as vain as it gets. Most of us claim to be believers but our actions do not bear testimony to our faith. The idea of integrity is a foreign concept to most Ghanaians. Our own kith and kin do not brink when it comes to taking advantage of us. Comfort and convenience triumphs over integrity and accountability in our corner of the world.
And I think that we are not as awesome as we think we are!
Perhaps, like many a Ghanaian, I have developed an image of Ghana largely based on false idealism- a hollow concept that places Ghana on an impeccable pedestal of high moral excellence.
On many occasions, I have found myself comparing the Ghanaian way of life to those of other people, cultures and value systems and puffing out my chest proudly in the belief that our way, the Ghanaian way, is far superior. I have always contented myself - that Ghanaians are not criminally minded as others; that the cases of teenage pregnancies in Ghana is below the continental average even though I do not have the facts to support such an assertion; that Ghanaians are a breed of hard-working geniuses; that Ghanaian men do not rape their women and girls; that our education system is one of the best, if not the best in the whole continent; that Ghanaians are the most friendly and peace-loving people in the entire world. . . . .I suppose that I am referring to my own irrational assumptions of Ghanaian exceptionalism.
I am perfectly aware of the fact that Ghana is far from this idyllic picture of perfection I have chosen to believe in, however I cannot seem to bring myself to admit that the view I hold of Ghana, when outside, is outright naive, unreasonable and even deceptive. Call it patriotism, nationalism or whatever you like.
Every time I am in Ghana, my idealist views come into sharp confrontation with what pertains in the real world of today's Ghana. But as soon as I am outside Ghana's borders, guess what, the same idiosyncratic mindset creeps in. So today I want to dwell on some Ghanaians peculiarities for a change.
This preconceived Ghanaian 'superiority complex' has got to go.
To accept an image of Ghana which is totally different from the enormously deficient one I have been carrying, I believe, is the beginning of a therapeutic release from my self-imposed idealism. So? ? ?
Here are a few of my observations regarding the absurd contrivances we so cherish and love to pursue.
Our funerals
We are a bunch who love entertainment. So we even trivialise the funerals of our departed ones and turn what is supposed to be solemn moments into mindless occasions for parties, where all sorts of debauchery are not only permitted but encouraged with glee. How we love to lavish attention on the dead as supposed to the living! No wonder funerals are the primary occasions where families and communities come together. In many cultures, a funeral is short and simple-solely built around bidding farewell to the dead.Nothing more nothing less.
Our cultural mindset is the opposite. We are always looking back such that we place obscene value on what is dead and past and not enough focus on the future, on our children, our jobs and our dreams.
Perhaps, it is a symptom of our collective fear of the future? So we hold unto the past?
Valentine day celebrations
Not only have we embrace the vanities of other cultures but have jump into them head first. A case in point is the celebration of valentine day. We have managed to take it to levels previously unheard of any where else. Husbands leaving their wives at home and splurging on mistresses and other people's wives with wanton gifts they cannot afford, whilst their children walk around in tattered clothes. Misplaced priorities.
Sakawa
The get-rich-quick by-all-means phenomenon of sakawa is another contrivance in Ghana today. We have perfected the science of swindling other people of their hard-earned money for our selfish use.
We have become a society gripped by the urgency of 'having, using and enjoying' instead of one concerned with 'doing, creating and becoming'. And the sad reality is that nobody bothers any more to ascertain the source of people's wealth.
To us wealth is wealth irrespective of the source and the processes involved in its acquisition. That is why many Ghanaians never bother to learn and develop the habits, skills and the value systems needed to create wealth for ourselves and our communities.
Disregard for integrity
We are as vain as it gets. Most of us claim to be believers but our actions do not bear testimony to our faith. The idea of integrity is a foreign concept to most Ghanaians. Our own kith and kin do not brink when it comes to taking advantage of us. Comfort and convenience triumphs over integrity and accountability in our corner of the world.
And I think that we are not as awesome as we think we are!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
This Is What I Am Hearing
Woe to the hopeless dreamer
Ever yearning for the future
Always clueless of the present
Never learning from the past
For the future never comes
The present is all you have
And the past is the teacher
Ever yearning for the future
Always clueless of the present
Never learning from the past
For the future never comes
The present is all you have
And the past is the teacher
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
I Fought Back!
Whether unscrewed, unfused or confused
I cannot fathom
But there he stood
Right in the middle of the corner road
His face and motive unreadably hidden
At my hooting
He turned
Gave me the middle finger
And a sadistic grimace
And so I rolled
Down
The window
And flashed him
A soothing smile
The wonder-working kind
It must have worked
For when I returned an hour later
The theatre had long closed
I cannot fathom
But there he stood
Right in the middle of the corner road
His face and motive unreadably hidden
At my hooting
He turned
Gave me the middle finger
And a sadistic grimace
And so I rolled
Down
The window
And flashed him
A soothing smile
The wonder-working kind
It must have worked
For when I returned an hour later
The theatre had long closed
Monday, August 17, 2009
Beyond The Pale
Behaviour scientists, I now believe, are not the only bunch who are fully persuaded that the supreme interests of men primarily revolve around three issues: chicks, cars and booze.
Even a sect of the much respected domain of biology now postulates that mother nature is also a believer in this far-fetched psychology of men. They point to the fact that the population of the female specie is increasingly outpacing that of the male and they ascribe this phenomenon to the redeeming work of mother nature. According to them, mother nature, being the good economist that she is, is trying really hard to meet the insatiable demand of men for sex by supplying more chicks! They call that demand and supply. Don't they?
So yes, obviously mother nature like most mothers love her boys. And how do you show your love for your boys? By providing in abundance what makes them happy. . .Chicks! Lol.
I don't believe for a second that men are necessarily helpless in self-control in the matters of chicks. For goodness sake, we are not all obsessed with sex. Or are we?
I have got a beautiful, delightsome and responsive wife. Once in a while I may inadvertently steal a glance at a beautiful chick walking past, but I know how to control myself.
Another group of 'weirdos' who are not only believers but practitioners of this codswallop are marketers and advertisers. We are bombarded ad nauseam with flicking ads of men apparently enjoying the best that life has to offer, gulping down tonnes of beer and other forms of booze. Those who don't drink, are made to feel like a lost generation, a hopeless lot unaware of what they are missing.
I refuse to fall for their mind games. The last time I checked water was still better than anything with a percentage above 5%. After all the last time somebody gave me a certain beverage to drink, I felt totally drowsy after only five sips. When I finally brought myself to read what was written on the bottle I realised to my horror of horrors that the 'non-alcoholic beverage' was in fact 5%.
Then, oh yes, C.A.R.S. Geez. I love cars. I love the smell of new leather seats. I love the feel of pedals under my feet. The purr of a smooth engine responding to my every command is almost irresistible. But again nothing can make me go and spend tonnes of money on a new ride just because someone decides to play a sublime trick on my mind by showing an ad of a dude gliding down the road in a latest German car.
The question is what is so difficult about staying true to oneself?
What drives these middle-age, married men to not only cheat on their wives but also pat each other on the back whenever they gather around the booze alter to chat about their latest wild escapades with chicks and of course fantasize about the latest cars.
Is that all there is to the world of men? Is that what respected family men are expected to do?
Or perhaps is it true after all that the modern man is not all that evolved as we want to believe that we are? Probable today's men are still cavemen in every sense of the word.
Next time I meet with my friends I will introduce something pretty decent. We shall talk about, erm, . . . architecture, the architecture of love.
Even a sect of the much respected domain of biology now postulates that mother nature is also a believer in this far-fetched psychology of men. They point to the fact that the population of the female specie is increasingly outpacing that of the male and they ascribe this phenomenon to the redeeming work of mother nature. According to them, mother nature, being the good economist that she is, is trying really hard to meet the insatiable demand of men for sex by supplying more chicks! They call that demand and supply. Don't they?
So yes, obviously mother nature like most mothers love her boys. And how do you show your love for your boys? By providing in abundance what makes them happy. . .Chicks! Lol.
I don't believe for a second that men are necessarily helpless in self-control in the matters of chicks. For goodness sake, we are not all obsessed with sex. Or are we?
I have got a beautiful, delightsome and responsive wife. Once in a while I may inadvertently steal a glance at a beautiful chick walking past, but I know how to control myself.
Another group of 'weirdos' who are not only believers but practitioners of this codswallop are marketers and advertisers. We are bombarded ad nauseam with flicking ads of men apparently enjoying the best that life has to offer, gulping down tonnes of beer and other forms of booze. Those who don't drink, are made to feel like a lost generation, a hopeless lot unaware of what they are missing.
I refuse to fall for their mind games. The last time I checked water was still better than anything with a percentage above 5%. After all the last time somebody gave me a certain beverage to drink, I felt totally drowsy after only five sips. When I finally brought myself to read what was written on the bottle I realised to my horror of horrors that the 'non-alcoholic beverage' was in fact 5%.
Then, oh yes, C.A.R.S. Geez. I love cars. I love the smell of new leather seats. I love the feel of pedals under my feet. The purr of a smooth engine responding to my every command is almost irresistible. But again nothing can make me go and spend tonnes of money on a new ride just because someone decides to play a sublime trick on my mind by showing an ad of a dude gliding down the road in a latest German car.
The question is what is so difficult about staying true to oneself?
What drives these middle-age, married men to not only cheat on their wives but also pat each other on the back whenever they gather around the booze alter to chat about their latest wild escapades with chicks and of course fantasize about the latest cars.
Is that all there is to the world of men? Is that what respected family men are expected to do?
Or perhaps is it true after all that the modern man is not all that evolved as we want to believe that we are? Probable today's men are still cavemen in every sense of the word.
Next time I meet with my friends I will introduce something pretty decent. We shall talk about, erm, . . . architecture, the architecture of love.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
BioLogics of Hillbrow
Last Saturday I was in Hillbrow, the infamous epicentre of criminality in the environs of Johannesburg's Inner City.
The last time I was there, three years ago I think, I was robbed in broad daylight in a street full of people. Not only was no finger lifted to my defence by those in the street, they carried on as if they had witnessed nothing unusual. I guess to the residents of this notorious jungle of crime issues of robbery, murders, thuggery and other forms of crime are simply part of their dairy lives and therefore, it appeared to me, there was no need to make any fuss about another normal activity!
Even though I vowed never ever to venture into that part of town, I found myself in the that vicinity as I had to drop a friend who needed to be there to get his car from a mechanic's workshop.
My car was parked a good distance away and we walked a great deal of distance to the mechanic's workshop. On the way there, I realised that Hillbrow as it was three years ago has seen little, if any, changes at all. The most conspicuous difference was the large number of people standing on the street pavements hawking and passing out tracts and pamphlets to those passing-by.
This time though the closest I came to being mobbed was when three different tracts were thrust into my hands in a short space of time along yettah street.
All the three tracts, even though different in colour, advertised the services of one Dr. Musah from Uganda.
According to what was written on the papers, Dr. Musah has the skills and power(or is it magic) to boost the girth, length and strength of a certain part of the body to make my woman supremely happy. Provided were contact numbers and address for consultation.
I could not stop thinking about how he does that sort of thing. Even though I am not a biologist by any stretch of imagination, I think I am not ignorant as to the basic biology of how muscles develop. I was taught years ago that the way to build huge muscles is through exercising them regularly.
Obviously Dr. Musah is operating in the realms of biology beyond the borders of our solar system. Dr. Musah's promises are a great deal outside the logic of the biology that I was taught.
The last time I was there, three years ago I think, I was robbed in broad daylight in a street full of people. Not only was no finger lifted to my defence by those in the street, they carried on as if they had witnessed nothing unusual. I guess to the residents of this notorious jungle of crime issues of robbery, murders, thuggery and other forms of crime are simply part of their dairy lives and therefore, it appeared to me, there was no need to make any fuss about another normal activity!
Even though I vowed never ever to venture into that part of town, I found myself in the that vicinity as I had to drop a friend who needed to be there to get his car from a mechanic's workshop.
My car was parked a good distance away and we walked a great deal of distance to the mechanic's workshop. On the way there, I realised that Hillbrow as it was three years ago has seen little, if any, changes at all. The most conspicuous difference was the large number of people standing on the street pavements hawking and passing out tracts and pamphlets to those passing-by.
This time though the closest I came to being mobbed was when three different tracts were thrust into my hands in a short space of time along yettah street.
All the three tracts, even though different in colour, advertised the services of one Dr. Musah from Uganda.
According to what was written on the papers, Dr. Musah has the skills and power(or is it magic) to boost the girth, length and strength of a certain part of the body to make my woman supremely happy. Provided were contact numbers and address for consultation.
I could not stop thinking about how he does that sort of thing. Even though I am not a biologist by any stretch of imagination, I think I am not ignorant as to the basic biology of how muscles develop. I was taught years ago that the way to build huge muscles is through exercising them regularly.
Obviously Dr. Musah is operating in the realms of biology beyond the borders of our solar system. Dr. Musah's promises are a great deal outside the logic of the biology that I was taught.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
No More Turning Back
Looking at her balanced delicately before the laptop on the dining table, I expressed a mischievously delightful chuckle within. What convinced her to settle down with me in the first place? Is there something she sees that is hidden from me? These are some of the questions that have been invading my mind recently. A recent phone call from a lady, an old schoolmate living on another continent, seeking to re-establish our long-lost friendship may be the reason for the self-induced questionnaire. As much as I have tried to chat with her, my heart is persuading me to cut the ties. I guess I have moved on and as they say sleeping dogs should be left to lie.
I am surely not cut in the mold of prince charming( PC). In fact I consider myself as the very antithesis of whoever and whatever PC is supposed to be in the real world. Can a man really grasp the concept of womanhood? Can a woman ever truly grasp what makes a real man to tick? Are the expectations of the genders a true reflection of reality, or are they just part of a life-long game of adventures which were never meant to be comprehended in the first place?
Most women, I am told start dreaming of prince charming from as early as their third year of birth. The handsome, intelligent and wealthy alpha male with a knack for creating loads of humour, joy and bliss is the dream man for most daughters of eve. I am still struggling to create a balcony of harmony in my own life, in my family so I don't understand what is going on.
Whatever is supposed to be the perfect and ultimate solution of the puzzle of love, there is one thing I think I am awakening to. And that is: I now really know that I am in love with my wife.
I am surely not cut in the mold of prince charming( PC). In fact I consider myself as the very antithesis of whoever and whatever PC is supposed to be in the real world. Can a man really grasp the concept of womanhood? Can a woman ever truly grasp what makes a real man to tick? Are the expectations of the genders a true reflection of reality, or are they just part of a life-long game of adventures which were never meant to be comprehended in the first place?
Most women, I am told start dreaming of prince charming from as early as their third year of birth. The handsome, intelligent and wealthy alpha male with a knack for creating loads of humour, joy and bliss is the dream man for most daughters of eve. I am still struggling to create a balcony of harmony in my own life, in my family so I don't understand what is going on.
Whatever is supposed to be the perfect and ultimate solution of the puzzle of love, there is one thing I think I am awakening to. And that is: I now really know that I am in love with my wife.
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Fleece Market
The free market as we know it is no more!
One of the central pillars of economic theory is the expectation that people and economic entities will always take reasonable decisions and make sound choices.
Oh boy, how wrong we have been all along!! It would have been better to have assumed that, as a matter of fact, all humans are incorrigible morrons and on that premises we could have put together the necessary safeguards in our economic theories to minimize the risks.
The unfolding economic quadmire the whole world is wallowing in, makes a mockery of the much-heralded assumption of reasonableness. We are all witnessing the consequences of the untested and laissez-faire decisions that have been made over the years by greedy and callous men and women in charge of many branded financial institutions.
Let me express a very critical fact that many seem to forget so easily:
designing very complex financial derivatives and other instruments and simply passing them through the system for implementation by people who have no idea of what they are dealing with coupled with the total disregard for checks and balances will always sink the ship!
Greed, deregulation and irresponsibilty are essentially the hallmarks of the present contagion.
As it was with Nick Leeson so it has been with these clueless managers of our financial resources. Only this time the scale has been massive, brutal and catastrophic!
Global brands are collapsing like dominoes before our eyes every day. The Securities Markets have lost trillions of dollars in a matter of weeks. This is unprecedented! It will take years for the markets to get back to where they were. I wonder if any lessons would have been learnt by the time it is all over.
One of the central pillars of economic theory is the expectation that people and economic entities will always take reasonable decisions and make sound choices.
Oh boy, how wrong we have been all along!! It would have been better to have assumed that, as a matter of fact, all humans are incorrigible morrons and on that premises we could have put together the necessary safeguards in our economic theories to minimize the risks.
The unfolding economic quadmire the whole world is wallowing in, makes a mockery of the much-heralded assumption of reasonableness. We are all witnessing the consequences of the untested and laissez-faire decisions that have been made over the years by greedy and callous men and women in charge of many branded financial institutions.
Let me express a very critical fact that many seem to forget so easily:
designing very complex financial derivatives and other instruments and simply passing them through the system for implementation by people who have no idea of what they are dealing with coupled with the total disregard for checks and balances will always sink the ship!
Greed, deregulation and irresponsibilty are essentially the hallmarks of the present contagion.
As it was with Nick Leeson so it has been with these clueless managers of our financial resources. Only this time the scale has been massive, brutal and catastrophic!
Global brands are collapsing like dominoes before our eyes every day. The Securities Markets have lost trillions of dollars in a matter of weeks. This is unprecedented! It will take years for the markets to get back to where they were. I wonder if any lessons would have been learnt by the time it is all over.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)