What is wrong with the Motherland?...

It is Monday May 26, 2008 and I'm at Innotec with Thomas. I was going to start reading " The Paris Option" by Robert Ludlum but I sat at the desk and saw a book titled " Against all hope: Hope for Africa by Darrow L. Miller and Scott Allen. I usually try to steer clear of such books because it is usually written by folks who have not really experienced Africa in the the sense that its inhabitants have experienced it. Such people can always go and conduct their researches in Africa and decide to leave when they are done or runnng out of funding. The people in the motherland however, continue to live and make ends meet no matter what. That alone think should speak to the will power to live and survive against the odds. I have not read the booklet into detail yet but one statement that caught my eye on page 32 was "Resources do not come from the ground but from the innovation of the human mind." That's quite an interesting statement that kept resonating in my mind as I kept reading the book.

There were so many things to be said in response to the authors views and it made me wonder if they were right and I was wrong. I have always been aware of the kind of hopelessness that is evident when you speak to most Africans or Ghanaians to be more specific. According to the authors of the book, our main problem or the root of all our struggles is the fact that our worldview is wrong. The statement they made was that "The root of the problem is inside the minds of the people of the continent." Is this really true? If it is, then what has shaped our worldview? Where did we go wrong/ How did we end up with a fatalist/ spiritist worldview which is deeply rooted in the Animistic culture? As a christian, I have always believed that when you take God out of the equation, then things start going downhill because this has been very true of my life. Is the worldview of the average african really fatalistic and spiritist?

Aren't asian nations like China and Singapore mainly of a different worldview other than Christian or Godly? Why are they not poorer than Africa? I think I need to have a chat with my father about this issue because my little mind is overwhelmed by the questions. How can we rise out of the dark black hole that we have been portrayed to be in? How can we get our corrupt leaders to realize that the good of the community supercedes that of individual interest?Can anybody give me any answers?

huh...hahaa

Hey so I went jogging with hubby like two days ago! We did like almost 3 miles I think. Yes 3 miles!....pretty awesome. Oh and we went power walking today because I was super sore from lack of physical activity but it felt really great. You know how the endorphins kick in and u feel like you're the healthiest person ever? Yep, that's how it was. Anywho, so I was on facebook today...(as usual)...lol...and I noticed that this "friend" of mine had sent my husband a friend a request like a while back but has taken me off her friend list!...lol...I started laughing so hard 'cos all I could think was "what a loser"! Like seriously? I would tell you everything that happened before our relationship went sour but it would be a little childish which is exactly how I felt when we were friends...I'm not sure...hmmm...lol

I tried to let her know that I was hurt and blah blah blah but I guess she was hurt too. I probably do care a lot more than I'm letting on otherwise I would not even blog about it. Anyways, I wish her all the best in her life and maybe someday if we become friends again, I would want her to know that I mean every single word I've written on here...talk about insincere friends right?...You're one of them, boo but I ain't mad at you,...heeeyyy!...lol

Moving on! So immigration numbers are still getting closer but yet still far away!I am a little frustrated with that but its all good. I think I need to remind my lazy behind to get my application essay done so I can go back to school. Maybe that's what I am supposed to do but I don't know for sure. Oh well, we'll see. I'm off to watch t.v. Sometimes I don't even know why I bother with it. Some of the shows seem to be created to make you dumb on purpose. It is unbelievable. Anyways, ciao!

MAMA's

So mother's day is here again and its pretty neat. The message at church was about the wonderful women of the Bible including Mary, Rahab and Moses' mom. It is pretty amazing what mothers do, you know. They cook and clean and have our best interest at heart. My mother just cracked me up when I called her this afternoon. She always make me laugh so hard with her unjaded vision of the world... yet she always warns of the dangers of this world and how not everyone may be wanting your success! I love her! Anyways, I called my aunt too who was not having such a great day because my cousin was being a typical teenager(rebellious).

Anywho, I wish I had lots of money 'cos the first thing I would do is take my mum on a well deserved vacation from home. She has been so dedicated in her effort to create a home for us that she totally forgot about herself and her dreams and aspirations. My mother lived in the UK for 6 months when were kids and after she got back, she promised she was never going to leave her children to be looked after by other people... and she hasn't been outside Ghana since then. Now that is commitment! Sometimes I wish I was more like her; so prayerful and God-fearing and such a warrior!

Anyway, to all the mothers who constantly seek all the good in the world for your children, I say happy mother's day and may God bless you for your efforts!

hrmph...money

Uhm...so I've been thinking about writing for a while now but I have just been putting it off because there's too much to write about. Sometimes I feel like I think too much about one topic and then when I don't feel like talking about it anymore, I go off on a tangent when that particular topic is not exhausted but I will try to stay on course. So I have realised that a lot of my friends are always complaining about how "broke" they are. Even my very well off friends always complain about being broke when they really are not. I do have issues with that. Why is it so wrong to talk about money? I s'pose if you really do have enough money to take care of yourself or you can ask your parents for some form of support when you are in a bind, you really should not complain and whine when people who are really in need are.

I think growing up, I was always made aware of my parents financial situation. If my father told us he did not have enough money, he was for real and we all understood that. I guess I could say that most of the kids I went to school with were from pretty affluent families and so they probably could not identify with being trully broke. I know people who can just call home and ask for money to be wired to them and it will be done. Just like that...and you know what they do with all that money? Go shopping! Seriously! I guess I could honestly say that my parents are not doing so bad at this moment in their life 'cos they got all our college education out of the way except Evelyn's. I am so proud of my parents for taking care of their own and other people's children especially putting others through school. That must not be so easy!!!

Sometimes I wonder if people's selfish behavior may be a result of getting everything they ever wanted without really having worked for it. A lot of kids I grew up with need to learn the art of giving and helping friends out when they are desperately in need without really expecting anything in return. I think it can be pretty difficult to do but I hope that someday when I make enough money, I can be as generous as people have been towards me. Maybe I can write someone a check for $300-$500 for someone's birthday like SM does!

hmmm...

So my little mind is still wondering and wandering as usual!... I have come to the conclusion that people can be very interesting, (as if no one knew that already) but our behavior towards one another can be very appalling! No wonder my parents love to watch National Geographic footages of animal life! Oh well, I was just thinking"what if we always said whatever we were thinking at exactly the time when we are thinking it?" No inhibitions whatsoever? Lord have mercy! That would probably start another war right? But really, what prevents us from being honest with each other? Is it the fear of rejection or being social outcasts. From the look of things, a lot of people do feel like social outcasts already so why don't we just blurt out our thoughts!? I have learned something about myself recently! Ah, the pursuit of self knowledge or awareness! Priceless! I think the reason why I don't care about some of my relationships with some of my friends is because I already have a very supportive family, my sisters are like my very best friends, my husband is an awesome listener so it makes it hard for me to have to deal with other people's crap!...lol... Sometimes T and I talk about friends and hanging out and all that "normal" people supposedly do. People always say it is not good not to have many friends when you get exclusive with a guy but my question is" what if the guy/girl is genuinely awesomer than your loser friends?...lol...uhm...I don't mean my friends are losers. Not at all. Actually, I have some pretty amazing friends. The thing is, for me, once I can offload on someone other than my hubby, and laugh and cry about stuff to my family without fear of judgement, that's the most important thing to me. Does anyone really need a ton of fake-a$$ friends instead of the very few good ones?...Certainly not! Oh Crap, its getting late. I forgot that I have to volunteer tommorow...off to catch some zzzzz:-)