Editorial
Significance of Easter
Once again, the occasion of Easter will soon be with us and the need to reflect on our lives as a nation to do away with what is bad while embracing what is good to rebuild our individual lifestyles as well as our nation.
Easter should not be taken for granted. Rather, all Ghanaians must carefully reflect on the occasion and think of the great lessons that can be derived from it towards the fulfilment of our national aspirations.
The occasion is a Christian event that is celebrated every year to mark the resurrection of Christ after His crucifixion and death on the cross. This eventful moment shows that Christ gave His body and poured out His blood as a sacrifice for mankind.
Easter is closely linked to Good Friday the day on which Christ was crucified. This is because without the crucifixion there would not have been the Resurrection or Easter. Many people celebrate the event every year and participate in the activities involved in the celebration but unfortunately forget to take note of its significance.
The death of Christ offered liberation, hope and good life for mankind, signifying that people must always think of what they can do to liberate society and help others to enjoy better life. At various levels of society, people must be selfless and think about what they can do for their communities rather than what they can gain from society.
The concern of everyone in this case must be to ensure that others enjoy better life even if it means that they themselves are going to be denied of certain pleasures of life. It is not easy to allow death to come upon oneself as did happen in the case of Jesus Christ.
Before His death, He was mocked, teased, disgraced and humiliated even though He did not deserve to experience such things. Christ accepted to go through all this for the sake of mankind. If this is the case, then everyone must adopt this positive character on behalf of others in society to raise the quality of life of everyone.
It is equally important to note that Christ, after the resurrection, did not seek to pay back those who played a role in His condemnation and crucifixion. He forgave everyone claiming that they did not know what they were doing.
The great lesson here is that as individuals we need to promote unity, accommodate unfair treatments from others and be prepared to forgive and forget. It is important to go by this principle to manifest the selfless spirit of Christ in our daily lives.
Again, people must be concerned with what is good for the progress of society. This calls for truth, honesty, hard work, transparency and commitment always to achieve what is best for society. At the same time, people must move away from negative tendencies such as drunkenness, dishonesty, greed, selfishness, stealing, embezzlement, corruption, deceit and sexual immorality during occasions such as this.
Easter marks the end of the Holy Week in the Christian calendar and must, therefore, be adhered to and observed as such. The principles of Easter will continue to remain with us until the end of our lives so while we live on this earth, it is incumbent on us to strive for what is good and eschew evil even under very difficult circumstances so as to be able to propel ourselves and the entire country to a higher pedestal of socio-economic development.
The Spectator calls on all Ghanaians to reflect on the coming Good Friday and Easter and pick lessons from them to rebuild our nation.
Dear Editor,
It is often said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. However, this saying becomes worrying when the health of citizens is threatened by the conditions under which the food they consume daily is sold.
In Ghana, the conditions under which food is sold is quite disturbing. Over the years, I have observed that the environments where food is prepared and sold are often unhygienic.
In many cases, containers holding food such as rice and waakye are left uncovered or not properly covered, exposing them to contamination.
While many Ghanaians paid little attention in the past to the conditions under which food was sold, the narrative seems to be changing in recent years.
I recall an incident during my days in Senior High School (S.H.S.) when my friends and I went out to buy food. At one location, some of us chose not to buy because we assumed the food would be expensive due to how neat the place looked.
Unfortunately, we ended up purchasing food from a different place that was somewhat unhygienic. We overlooked the poor conditions because we believed the quantity offered was better than at the cleaner location.
However, I am certain that my friends and I would not repeat such a mistake today, as we now understand the health implications of that decision.
While public education is important in addressing this issue, I believe it is time for regulatory and law enforcement agencies, such as the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), to crack the whip on food sellers and vendors who operate in unhygienic environments and conditions.
As citizens, we must also be mindful of where we buy our food to protect ourselves and our families from diseases and illnesses. We should choose ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’ and prioritize our health.
From Syram
Oyarifa
Dear Editor,
I write to express concern and call for improved security measures before and after every football match.
The recent robbery attack that led to the tragic death of a player, on their return from a Match day 29 game against Samartex, is both shocking and heartbreaking.
The incident, which reportedly occurred around 10:30 p.m., highlights the growing risks faced by players and team officials while traveling.
Football is meant to unite and entertain, not to expose lives to danger. It is therefore imperative that authorities, the Ghana Football Association, and security agencies put in place adequate protection for teams, especially during late-night travels.
I strongly urge all stakeholders to treat this matter with urgency to prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring.
From Eugene Ampiaw
Accra
