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There is always a way out of hardship
It takes only a glance at the news to know about the economic hardships, disasters and tragedies all around the world. And it takes only a glance into our own lives to know that they happen close to home as well. Everyone’s difficulties are unique, but everyone has some. And perhaps that’s the first step toward coping and hoping: to realise that we’re not alone as we experience life’s hardships. We are all, to one degree or another, going through it together. While we might prefer to turn away from others and struggle privately, hearts heal best when they’re open. That’s when love can enter, when the bonds of friendship can bind up a broken heart. Writer James Thurber once shared this definition of love he heard from a friend: “Love is what you’ve been through with somebody.”
to adjust to adversity
We’re all inspired by people who choose to go through something with someone because of love. For example, a woman who was abused in her youth is reaching out to help other young women heal. Veterans are counselling others with post-traumatic stress disorder. Widows are forming support groups. They’ve all found the secret—not just to surviving, but to flourishing.
Instead of getting stuck in the idea that our suffering isn’t fair, we cope better if we realise that the world does not owe us comfort and ease. In fact, the way out of despairing over our troubles is to stop keeping score and try to bring comfort and ease to others. When we do, life improves. Our problems seem smaller and our prospects brighter. We begin to have hope again.
A religious writer from the early 20th Century said this about the school of life: “No pain that we suffer in life, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable…. It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire.”
As difficult as it sometimes is, the curriculum of life is perfectly suited to teach us what we need to learn. Life can teach us wisdom, refine our desires, and soften our attitudes. It can stretch us and help us grow and improve. And while life might seem a lot easier if it were pain and trouble free, it would not be sweeter. We know the sweetness of life because of-not in spite of-the bitter. We know happiness because we know sorrow. We appreciate light because we have experienced darkness.
That doesn’t mean we welcome such tests. But when they come, as they do for all of us, it helps to see them as opportunities to learn and grow. After all, the most meaningful learning takes place outside of a classroom, in the school of life.
Just as individuals can overcome hardship and surmount challenges, so can communities and nations. Very often, it is in the soil of difficulty that the fruit of resilience and progress grows.
About a 100 years ago, the cotton crops of Enterprise, Alabama, were devastated by a boll weevil infestation. The area’s economy was shattered, and many farmers faced bankruptcy. But rather than give in to despair and hopelessness, the citizens of Enterprise were true to their name and went to work, turning to peanuts and other crops to replace the cotton.
A few years later, that county was producing and harvesting more peanuts than any other region in the United States. In gratitude and recognition, residents erected on Main Street “the world’s only monument to an agricultural pest”: the Boll Weevil Monument. It is a symbol of a community’s “willingness and ability to adjust to adversity,” a memorial to civic resilience and progress. Inscribed on the base of the monument are the words “In profound appreciation of the boll weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity this monument was erected by the citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama.”
What happened in that small, aptly named city is a reminder to each of us today: when faced with adversity, if we come together as communities and nations, strengthen our resolve, and refuse to give up, who knows what might happen? As citizens rally around common causes that promote the well-being of all, miraculous things can take place. From rubble can come new growth, from difficulty can come new opportunity, from setbacks can come stepping-stones to prosperity. Indeed, what seems difficult, even impossible, can become a new, positive reality.
If you doubt it, think of the lesson of the boll weevil and the people of Enterprise, Alabama, from decades ago.
By Samuel Enos Eghan
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.
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.
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.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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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:
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
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.
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
