<<Print>>It could have been any of us. Forget political affiliations, ethnicity, social classes or whatever triviality we hold on to showcase our superiority over our fellow man.
The tragic events which bedevilled our motherland these past couple of days epitomise one of those rare occasions when we are reminded of our collective humanity - our common fate - and of the essence of making our rather transient stay on this planet a better one for one another. Reflecting on these have not only stoked several questions in my mind, but also reminded me of the fragility of this thing we call life.
But unfortunately, there’s this disease called “forgetfulness” which I daresay seems to be more of an epidemic in this corner of the planet. Not long ago, we crucified our President for candidly reminding us of this malady. Of course, we usually do not expect our leaders, especially our political leaders, to be candid when it comes to the negative aspect of our character and laxity in assuming responsibility for contributing our quota to the development of our nation. But don’t you worry, Mr President, we have since forgotten you ever said that!
No great society was ever built by one man. It takes the collective effort of citizens to ensure economic growth, peace, stability and, ultimately, a happier society we could all be proud of. While we are busily driving a wedge between ourselves on the political arena, other nationals are gradually taking the reins of economic power from our hands and gradually we are becoming second-class citizens in our own country - but that is not the focus of this article.
As the sound bites of the tragic events echoed through my ears, there was a particular one that literally broke my heart and brought me to the verge of tears; that of a woman wailing uncontrollably for her children who were carried away by the flood waters and asking why God would allow such tragedy to befall her. I wondered where God was too and questioned our excessive reliance on prayer as the solution to our personal and national challenges.
Why would God allow this to happen to a highly religious and prayerful nation like ours? Was God slumbering in bed? Was He sheltering from the rains too? Was He on vacation?
The historical records indicate that Accra has been experiencing flooding since the 1960s. This “gargantuan” length of time would translate into tonnes of prayers and fasting and yet God would allow floods to carry innocent people, including children away? Is God still not satisfied with our prayers? Was He busily attending to the needs of a more prayerful nation such as Singapore, Norway, Finland… only to finally turn back to realise the devastation?
But wait a second! Weren’t we praying to God just the other day to open the floodgates in abundance and let His rains fill our rivers so we could power our homes and factories?
Oh dear, so are we praying too much then?
These questions, though legitimate, are only relevant to the extent that we expect God to physically intervene in our affairs. I don’t know about you but I’ve never seen God in a Zoomlion coat on my way to work. I’ve never seen Him issuing permits to people to build on watercourses. I’ve never seen Him telling people to dump refuse in drains. I've never seen God being paid to ensure the effective utilisation of funds allocated for better drainage systems.
Though I would rather leave these matters to the theologians, I do not believe that God physically intervenes in the affairs of men (Emphasis on “physically” just so they don’t let me sit at the back of the church this Sunday). I believe the authority for controlling this planet is entrusted to us and therefore we cannot shy away from taking responsibility for our actions or inaction.
The trouble is when the ‘I’ in sentences such as “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” is replaced with “He” (God), either consciously or subconsciously, in the discharge of our responsibilities.
All progressive societies are built on the principles of science, technology and innovation. The future of every nation begins in their classrooms - not their religious institutions. (Though they have a part to play)
When I read former New York City mayor Rudolf Guiliani’s account of the 9/11 attacks, I was amazed by the scale of preparations they had made to respond to such events. I may not know how much they pray but what I do know is that they had a blueprint of exactly what to do when the tragedy struck and assumed ultimate responsibility for saving the lives of the tens of thousands of people in the buildings. It’s a miracle that only 3,000 out of the over 50,000 people who worked in the twin towers lost their lives, but miracles only happen when preparation meets opportunity or disaster.
Not long ago, the BBC reported that the Japanese were exploring the possibility of installing WCs in their elevators to provide relief for their citizens who might be trapped in the event of an earthquake. This is in spite of the extensive preparations they have already made to respond to the frequent earthquakes that hit their country.
We are 15 years into the second millennium. Knowledge is widely available. Come to think of it, we really don’t even need to invent anything- if all we did was adopt the well-documented ideas and strategies from other jurisdictions and apply them to our setting, we would be okay. It’s time to wake up as a people and take responsibility for the destiny of our nation. God has already given us more than enough. Let us give Him a little breathing space.
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