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Burning issues The lion and the sheep story: any lessons?

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• The lion and the sheep

African culture is made up of many stories that are told to children to let them become mature and wise people as they grow up. These stories help them to grow and become useful citizens so that they will not only be wise when they grow up, but help prevent unwarranted mistakes that can occur in society.

One African story tells us about animals in the bush but with a focus on the lion and the sheep. We know that the lion is a very aggressive animal. On the other hand, the sheep is a very harmless animal that is only concerned about what it seeks to find and eat without causing harm to any other animal.

A LION

There was a lion that was going around the bush looking for animals to eat to satisfy its hunger. In the process of killing animals and feeding on them to satisfy its hunger it became tired and decided to rest. It woke up from sleep and decided to continue its journey. This time it was in a great hurry and, for this reason, overlooked a big hole that was in front of it.

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The animal, therefore, fell into this deep hole and started looking around for help. Help came from nowhere and that made it very sad. It started to cry and hoped that help would come very soon. After a short while, the sheep was passing by and the lion called it and passionately appealed to it for help.

The sheep, knowing how ferocious and wicked the lion could be, told it that it would have been willing to help but for the fact that if the lion was able to come out of the hole, it would devour the sheep. Immediately, the lion started crying and looking so miserable, promising the sheep that nothing like that would ever happen.

MANY APPEALS

After incessant appeals to the sheep, the humble animal decided to help the ferocious lion. It asked the lion to promise it once again that it would cause no harm to it when it brought it out of the hole. Once again, the lion promised not to attack or harm the sheep, swearing that it was never a bad person and would always remember it for bringing it out of the deep hole.

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Based on this promise the innocent sheep, humble as it is and has always been, decided to find a rope and let it down the hole. It then asked the lion to hold the rope tight and start climbing up. Within a few minutes, the lion was able to use the rope to come out of the deep hole.

On coming out, the lion started smiling and expressing gratitude to the sheep. The sheep smiled back, thinking that the lion would, indeed, go by its promise of ensuring that it would never be attacked.

The lion, ungrateful as it was, decided to catch the sheep, contrary to the promise, and eat it up. Laugh. The sheep started crying and within a few minutes many animals in the bush heard of the cry and became attracted to where the incident was taking place.

HOW WAS THE LION REMOVED?

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The animals wanted to know what was happening so they asked the sheep to narrate what has happened and after that they also asked the lion to tell them about its version of the story. All the animals, upon hearing the story from each of them, knew that the lion was wrong, but they were all afraid to say so.

After some time, the rabbit, being a very wise animal, politely told the lion that it did not believe that the sheep was the one who actually brought it out of the hole, and that if, indeed, it was the sheep that brought it out, then the lion should get back into the deep hole for all of them to see how the sheep was able to rescue it.

On hearing this, the lion quickly jumped into the hole and asked the sheep to bring it out again, so that all the animals would know that it was the sheep which really brought it out. After it had jumped into the hole, the rabbit quickly pulled out the long rope and asked the lion to continue to stay in the deep hole.

WICKEDNESS

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This story tells us how wicked some people we deal with in this world can be. Some of the people we encounter in life, whether in the marketplace, in organisations, in hospitals, as managers or chief executive officers are so wicked that much fear is put into their subordinates.

The lion was feared by all the animals in the bush, so even though they knew what it did was unfair none of the animals was able to stand up boldly to tell the truth that it was being unfair to the sheep. They knew the truth but were afraid to speak it out.

There are many chief executives and managers who are operating very well in this country. Unfortunately, there are many others who are so wicked that their subordinates, like the ferocious lion, find it very difficult to come out with the truth about the issues.

There are many lessons we all need to learn from this simple story. In the first place, there are many wicked people who have been appointed to positions of authority and who are using dubious means to cover their misdeeds. These wicked people ought to be uncovered and put to shame.

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INVESTIGATION

There have even been cases where some of them have been investigated for the truth to come out but the appointing authorities, for some reason, find it difficult to stand by the truth and put such wicked people to shame. When things happen this way, it discourages the majority of the people who serve as subordinates around these wicked people to stand for what the truth is, knowing that at any point in time they may be sacrificed or victimised in a very unfair manner.

For fear of being unfairly sacrificed or being victimised, many of these subordinates keep quiet over the atrocities that are encountered in many workplaces. If these things continue, people will keep quiet and the appointing authority will always be unpopular.

One other lesson from this story is that any appointing authority must pay attention to the story and go for the truth at all times. While going for the truth the appointing authority must exhibit boldness, no matter what, to be fair to all and sundry by ensuring that Freedom and Justice is meted out to all. If Freedom and Justice is meted out to all people there will be happiness, and speedy advancement or progress at all times in society.

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BY DR. KOFI AMPONSAH-BEDIAKO

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Traditional values an option for anti-corruption drive — (Part 1)

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One of the issues we have been grappling with as a nation is corruption, and it has had such a devastating effect on our national development. I have been convinced that until morality becomes the foundation upon which our governance system is built, we can never go forward as a nation.

Our traditional practices, which have shaped our cultural beliefs, have always espoused values that have kept us along the straight and the narrow and have preserved our societies since ancient times.

These are values that frown on negative habits like stealing, cheating, greediness, selfishness, etc. Our grandparents have told us stories of societies where stealing was regarded as so shameful that offenders, when caught, have on a number of instances committed suicide.

In fact, my mother told me of a story where a man who was living in the same village as her mother (my grandmother), after having been caught stealing a neighbour’s cockerel, out of shame committed suicide on a mango tree. Those were the days that shameful acts were an abomination.

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Tegare worship, a traditional spiritual worship during which the spirit possesses the Tegare Priest and begins to reveal secrets, was one of the means by which the society upheld African values in the days of my grandmother and the early childhood days of my mother.

Those were the days when the fear of being killed by Tegare prevented people from engaging in anti-social vices. These days, people sleeping with other people’s wives are not uncommon.

These wrongful behaviour was not countenanced at all by Tegare. One was likely going to lose his life on days that Tegare operates, and so unhealthy habits like coveting your neighbour’s wife was a taboo.

Stealing of other people’s farm produce, for instance, could mean certain death or incapacitation of the whole or part of the body in the full glare of everybody. People realised that there were consequences for wrongdoing, and this went a long way to motivate the society to adhere to right values.

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Imagine a President being sworn into office and whoever administers the oath says, “Please say this after me: I, Mr. …., do solemnly swear by God, the spirits of my ancestors and the spirits ruling in Ghana, that should I engage in corrupt acts, may I and my family become crippled, may madness become entrenched in my family, may incurable sicknesses and diseases be my portion and that of my family, both immediate and extended.”

Can you imagine a situation where a few weeks afterwards the President goes to engage in corrupt acts and we hear of his sudden demise or incapacitation and confessing that he engaged in corrupt acts before passing or before the incapacitation—and the effect it will have on his successor? I believe we have to critically examine this option to curb corruption.

My grandmother gave me an eyewitness account of one such encounter where a woman died instantly after the Tegare Priest had revealed a wrong attitude she had displayed during the performance on one of the days scheduled for Tegare spirit manifestation.

According to her story, the Priest, after he had been possessed by the spirit, declared that for what the woman had done, he would not forgive her and that he would kill. Instantly, according to my grandmother, the lady fell down suddenly and she died—just like what happened to Ananias and his wife Sapphira in Acts Chapter 5.

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NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO

By Laud Kissi-Mensah

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Emotional distortions:A lethal threat to mental health

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Emotional distortions can indeed have a profound impact on an individual’s mental health and well-being. These distortions can lead to a range of negative consequences, including anxiety, depression, and impaired relationships.

Emotional surgery is a therapeutic approach that aims to address and heal emotional wounds, traumas, and blockages. This approach recognises that emotional pain can have a profound impact on an individual’s quality of life and seeks to provide a comprehensive and compassionate approach to healing.

How emotional surgery can help

Emotional surgery can help individuals:

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Identify and challenge negative thought patterns: By becoming aware of emotional distortions, individuals can learn to challenge and reframe negative thoughts.

Develop greater emotional resilience: Emotional surgery can help individuals develop the skills and strategies needed to manage their emotions and respond to challenging situations.

Improve relationships: By addressing emotional wounds and promoting emotional well-being, individuals can develop more positive and healthy relationships with others.

The benefits of emotional surgery

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The benefits of emotional surgery can include:

Improved mental health outcomes: Emotional surgery can help individuals reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Enhanced relationships: Emotional surgery can help individuals develop more positive and healthy relationships with others.

Increased self-awareness: Emotional surgery can help individuals develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their emotions.

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A path towards healing

Emotional surgery offers a promising approach to addressing emotional distortions and promoting emotional well-being. By acknowledging the impact of emotional pain and seeking to provide a comprehensive and compassionate approach to healing, individuals can take the first step towards recovery and improved mental health.

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BY ROBERT EKOW GRIMMOND-THOMPSON

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