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Thoughts and truths …the true reflections of life & living itself
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Thought has been defined as the product of mental activity; that which one thinks like a body of thought; a single act or product of thinking; an idea or notion to collect one’s thoughts; the actor process of thinking; a mental activity; and the capacity or faculty of thinking, reasoning and imagining such as all his thought went into his work.
It is also understood as a consideration or reflection such as the thought of death terrified him; or as a meditation, contemplation, or recollection as in deep thought; or as an intention, design, or purpose, especially a half-formed or imperfect intention as “we had some thought of going”; or an anticipation or expectation as in “I had no thought of seeing you here”; and as a consideration, attention, care, or regard as in “She took no thought of her appearance.”
The same ‘thought’ could be understood to mean a judgement, opinion, or belief as in “According to his thought, all violence is evil”; or as a very small amount; a touch; bit; or trifle as in “The steak is a thought underdone”; and as an intellectual activity or the ideas, opinions, characteristic of a particular place, class, or time as “Greek thought.”
Generally therefore, ‘thought’ as a noun or ‘thoughts’ constitute the act or process of thinking, deliberation, mediation, or reflection; a concept, opinion, or idea; and a philosophical or intellectual idea typical of a particular time or place and application of mental attention and consideration as in giving some issues some thought.
TRUTH, on the other hand, has been defined to include the true or actual state of a matter; the conformity with fact or reality as in the truth of a statement; a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like such as mathematical truths; the state or character of being true; and the actuality or actual existence.
It also connotes actuality or actual existence; or an obvious or accepted fact; truism; or platitude; or an ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience as the basic truths of life; or honesty, sincerity or truthfulness; or fidelity or constancy; and an agreement with a standard or adjustment.
‘Thoughts and Truths’, the book therefore, is a compilation of articles, which seeks to espouse the whole phenomenon of life and living in all its forms and shades, especially its complexities and abstracts in the final analysis at the point of death, do not make sense to the ordinary person, unless you are imbibed with higher levels of discernment – the faculty of discerning; acuteness of judgement and understanding.
What it means to anyone, therefore, is that the real spoils of life will always be for the individual with a high sense of discernment, astuteness, insightfulness, clear-sightedness, sagaciousness, perceptiveness, perspicaciousness and shrewdness to recognise and appreciate one’s lifetime role as a student of this life with all its thoughts and truths; ready to seize moments of opportunity in leadership and politics to ride the wave to change fortunes.
You see, this life with all its vanities, choices, emotions, mirrors, opportunities, frailties, absurdities, mysteries, windows, doors, contradictions, fallacies, crosses, errors, imperfections, inconsistencies, insecurities and complexities: are the seeming mirages of life and all its abstracts; and it has never been for the faint-hearted, naive or those afraid of falling from any height or failing.
Remember Cain, the first ‘politician’, seizing the moment, even with the death of his own brother, Abel and then turning round, when he realised there was bounty on his head to negotiate a ‘curse’ on the heads of the bounties after him.
Such is the bare essence of “Thoughts and Truths” of a person.
We are informed that, those who succeed in this life and rise up to the very top of their careers, politics and life in all its complexities, are those who are never afraid to fail, the number of attempts notwithstanding, and also ready to lie through their teeth and die trying for their moments in history and time.
The conundrum, which faces us therefore as a nation and as a people, is the base of our failings and lack of systematic development, accessible to all and across the length and breadth of Ghana. Truth be told, we are not ready to accept that we have a problem and also lack the right leadership to take charge and address the contemporary issues that confront us.
We are also not ready to accept that we are failing as a nation because we never dream big as we are only content with the small ‘village’ thoughts and achievements.
Look at our drainage systems with all the perennial flooding, recall the objections raised against the building of the Akosombo Dam by the then fathers of some of our contemporary leadership: ‘that it was too big at the time and we did not need the excess capacity’ – just as the thinking against the Ameri Power Plant issue; and yet I marvel at the administrative structures built centuries ago across the Americas and Europe like the underground railway systems.
Why do they always, through generations past, think big for the future, whilst we do the very opposite of thinking small: is that our destinies as a people and as a nation?
Does it not amaze you how the railway lines we had just in the immediate years of our Independence, could not be extended nor expanded to the northern territories with a countrywide networking and yet, railways continue to be the major source of transportation in India, Pakistan and the United States of America (USA) with national and trans-continental and or underground networks?
Not sure if we sometimes don’t see ourselves as an accursed people, living under or subject to a curse and as a doomed, ill-fated, damnable, execrable or detestable people?
Corruption, we are told, is as old as creation and yet whilst others have been able to institute measures that make such acts most expensive to the indulging person, we on the other hand worship every act and aspects, openly and without shame, whilst our people wallow in extreme, abject poverty without the simple and most basic of necessities in our villages and communities; otherwise how on earth will some of our Members of Parliament (MPs) acquiesce to such a deal as Agyapa?
No matter how much we clothe this ‘state capture’, supposedly for a selected few or family members, nobody should deceive himself or herself into forgetting that this ‘EARTH’ has its own way of resetting herself over centuries and millions of years, regenerating herself, otherwise where is all the gold of Mansa Musa, the ninth mansa of the Mali Empire, who is recorded in time and history as one of the wealthiest people in history, for his current family lineages or descendants?
For those of us, non-historians, Mansa Musa inherited a kingdom that was already wealthy, but his work in expanding trade made Mali the wealthiest kingdom in Africa. His riches came from mining significant salt and gold deposits in the Mali kingdom. Elephant ivory was another major source of the wealth and the bottom-line is he did not steal from his people nor deny them their due share as he invested in his people.
Maybe, our politicians need to learn and take a page from the lives of such men as Mansa Musa, a ruler, scholar, statesman, and devout man of faith; a 14th century African emperor, who reigned from 1312 to 1337 with their accomplishments, including building a national mosque with his own personal resources for his people.
If we cannot think far, we should also look at the life and times of yet another black king of Africa – Sundiata Keita, the first ruler of the Mali Empire in the 13th century, who laid the foundation for a powerful and wealthy African Empire and proclaimed the first charter of human rights, the Manden Charter.
‘Thoughts and Truths’ by its mixture seeks to provide us with the opportunity to take a second and third or possibly, a fourth and fifth look at this nation, Ghana and her people, and swear to ourselves that no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves, now and or in future, we will endeavour to always pursue epoch-making pursuits, those non-selfish in nature nor parochial, but always in the best or supreme interest of our people and descendants, the broader society and our nation, Ghana.
We should always only consider actions that will lead to an opening of a new era, as in human history, thought, or knowledge; expand the frontiers of our nationhood, not only in politics but all facets of our human existence as a people and as a nation: that for which you were born into this country as a ‘GHANAIAN’, first and foremost.
The essence of ‘Thoughts & Truths’ is to showcase a real, basic and invariable nature of experiences that will allow one to experience the dichotomies of life, in all its imperfections, making up the real reasons why we sojourn here on earth, no matter how brief.
Finally, have you ever wondered the purpose for which you have the days, months and years ahead of you to spend here on earth; or for you, it is the usual ‘EAT & DRINK, FOR TOMORROW YOU DIE’ – is that why you are here or better still, why you came to the world as a ‘Ghanaian’?
Pause for a moment to think about and ponder over these things because ‘Thoughts & Truths’, indeed, is the true mirror reflection and measure of a person’s life and living itself.
The writer is a land economist & appraiser,
events architect & planner, sport business
consultant, social commentator and an author
By Magnus Naabe Rex Danquah
“A woman who abandons her baby in a dustbin at Kasoa Lorry Station is not always a wicked woman. Sometimes, she is a wounded woman whose mind has broken, whose family has rejected her, and whose society has left her with only one terrible option: disappear or be disgraced.”
That is the hard truth Ghana must hear.
In the last 10 days alone, our nation has been confronted with the same painful headline, twice.
Case 1 – Kasoa Main Lorry Station, Central Region: A newborn baby girl was found abandoned inside a dustbin at the public toilet of the Kasoa Main Station. A woman who went to use the facility discovered the infant and raised an alarm. Commercial drivers and bystanders quickly retrieved the baby and rushed her to the Kasoa Polyclinic for emergency medical care.
Case 2 – Asante Bekwai, Ashanti Region: On Thursday morning, August 20, 2026, a two-week-old neonate was reportedly abandoned by an unknown nursing mother at Bekwai in the Ashanti Region. Residents who came across the child raised the alarm. The baby was admitted to the Bekwai Government Hospital as police commenced investigations.
Let me be clear from the start: Newborn abandonment is wrong. It is dangerous. It is criminal. And it can kill. This article does not excuse it. But if we only arrest and shame, we will never stop it. We must treat the root, not just punish the fruit.
What exactly is newborn abandonment? – The two definitions
The Legal Definition: Under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Section 96, and the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), abandonment of a child under 12 years is a criminal offence. It is classified as exposure and abandonment, punishable as a misdemeanor or felony. The law sees the mother as a perpetrator.
The Psychological definition: In clinical textbooks, newborn abandonment is defined as the intentional, permanent relinquishment of all parental rights, care, and responsibilities over an infant within the first 28 days of life without making formal, legal arrangements for care.
To understand this crisis properly, we must not confuse it with child abandonment. Newborn abandonment happens within 0-28 days of life, often driven by acute panic, denial of pregnancy, or postpartum psychosis where the attachment bond never formed. Child abandonment, on the other hand, involves toddlers to teenagers where a bond existed but collapsed over time due to chronic poverty, family breakdown, or parental burnout. One is an acute crisis of the first month; the other is a chronic breakdown over years. Both are harmful, but they need different interventions.
Psychologically, newborn abandonment is the ultimate rupture of the primary attachment bond. Think of a 19-year-old university student who secretly gives birth alone in her hostel room, wraps the crying baby in a polythene bag, and drops it at a refuse dump at midnight. That is not just a crime scene; it is a scene of extreme panic and psychological dissociation.
Why would a mother carry a baby for 9 months and then abandon it?
This is the question every Ghanaian asks. If you wanted to abandon it, why not abort? The answer is deeply psychological:
1. The psychodynamics of denial of pregnancy: This is a profound defense mechanism, not a lie. The mother’s subconscious mind completely rejects the reality of the pregnancy. She does not gain weight normally, feels no kicks, does not seek antenatal care, and genuinely convinces herself she is not pregnant until sudden, shocking labour pains take her by surprise in a toilet or bedroom.
2. Fantasy of a dissolving problem: This is called cognitive avoidance. She believes “my boyfriend will come back,” “my mother will forgive me,” or “something miraculous will happen before birth.” So she waits, paralyzed, until the baby is here.
3. Barriers to safe abortion: Deep religious guilt, moral anxiety, fear of dying from a back-alley abortion, lack of money for a safe procedure, and family laws force her to carry to term even when she feels incapable.
4. The shock of reality and acute panic: Upon delivery, the physical presence and crying of the newborn shatters all denial. Confronted with immediate exposure, shame, and reality, her brain enters a trauma response — “fight, flight, or freeze.” For many, it becomes “flight” — physically escape the threat of exposure to survive socially. That is why babies are left in places where others will find them -lorry stations, churches, hospitals.
Source:
Counselor Prince Offei, CPAC’s founder, is a leading Mental Health Professional, Marriage Counsellor, Author, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, and Spectator Newspaper Columnist. He writes on relationships, marriage, parenting, special needs support, and their connection to mental health. For therapy, counselling, or enquiries, contact Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Accra on 0559850604 / 0551428486.
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Features
Environmental stewardship is an act of worship: The Islamic response to climate change, environmental degradation (Part 4)
The environmental consequences of illegal mining have reached alarming levels in Ghana. Several major rivers, including the Pra, Ankobra, Offin, Birim and Tano, have experienced significant pollution from illegal mining activities, increasing the cost and complexity of water treatment while threatening the availability of potable water for millions of citizens (Water Resources Commission, 2024; Ghana Water Limited, 2024). These developments underscore the urgent need for stronger environmental governance and collective action.
Islam equally emphasises accountability in governance. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that every leader is responsible for those under his or her authority (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 7138; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1829). This principle extends to public officials entrusted with environmental regulation, traditional authorities responsible for communal lands, mining companies, local assemblies, and community leaders. Environmental protection cannot succeed
where accountability is absent.
At the same time, addressing galamsey requires more than law enforcement. Sustainable solutions must tackle the underlying socio-economic realities that drive individuals into illegal mining. Many young people are motivated by unemployment, poverty, and limited economic opportunities. Islamic principles of social justice therefore call for the creation of alternative livelihoods through sustainable agriculture, vocational training, responsible small-scale mining under strict environmental standards, entrepreneurship, and skills development. Environmental protection and economic empowerment should not be viewed as competing priorities but as complementary goals that promote human dignity and national development.
Faith communities also have an indispensable role to play. Mosques, churches, schools, traditional councils, and civil society organisations possess significant influence in shaping public attitudes and behaviours. Imams, in particular, should consistently remind congregations that wealth acquired through actions that destroy communities and Allah’s creation cannot be regarded as a blessing. Religious education should cultivate environmental ethics alongside spiritual devotion, reinforcing the understanding that protecting rivers, forests, and farmlands is an expression of gratitude to Allah and a fulfilment of the trust of Khalifah.
Ultimately, the struggle against galamsey is more than a campaign to protect natural resources; it is a struggle to uphold justice, preserve human dignity, and honour the trust that Allah has placed upon humanity. Lasting solutions will require strong governance, responsible citizenship, sustainable economic opportunities, and renewed moral leadership. Only when these elements
work together can Ghana safeguard its natural heritage for present and future generations.
Water conservation, waste management and sustainable development: Practical expressions of Islamic stewardship
Religious education should cultivate environmental ethics alongside spiritual devotion, reinforcing the understanding that protecting rivers, forests, and farmlands is an expression of gratitude to Allah and a fulfilment of the trust of Khalifah.
Ultimately, the struggle against galamsey is more than a campaign to protect natural resources; it is a struggle to uphold justice, preserve human dignity, and honour the trust that Allah has placed upon humanity. Lasting solutions will require strong governance, responsible citizenship, sustainable economic opportunities, and renewed moral leadership. Only when these elements
work together can Ghana safeguard its natural heritage for present and future generations.
Islam is not merely a religion that condemns environmental destruction; it also provides practical guidance for preserving and sustaining the natural world. Through its teachings on moderation, cleanliness, conservation, and responsible consumption, Islam cultivates an environmental ethic that remains remarkably relevant to contemporary challenges such as water scarcity, pollution, waste management, and climate change. These teachings encourage Muslims to become
responsible custodians of Allah’s creation in both private and public life.
Water conservation: A sacred responsibility
Water occupies a unique position in Islam as the source of life and an essential element of worship. Allah says, “And We made from water every living thing. Then will they not believe?” (Qur’an 21:30, Sahih International). This verse reminds believers that water is not merely an economic resource but a divine blessing upon which all living creatures depend. The importance of water is further reflected in Islamic acts of worship. Muslims perform ablution (wudu) before the five daily prayers and ritual bathing (ghusl) under prescribed circumstances.
Yet, despite its central role in purification, Islam strongly discourages wastefulness. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once advised one of his companions not to waste water while performing ablution, even when using water from a flowing river (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 425). This timeless guidance establishes the principle that abundance does not justify extravagance.
Conservation remains a religious obligation regardless of the apparent availability of natural resources.
This Prophetic teaching carries profound implications for contemporary Ghana. Illegal mining has severely polluted many rivers, increasing the cost of water treatment and limiting access to safe drinking water for numerous communities. Climate change has also intensified seasonal variability in rainfall, placing additional pressure on freshwater resources (IPCC, 2023). Against this
backdrop, conserving water is no longer simply an environmental preference—it is a moral imperative grounded in Islamic teaching.
Water conservation should therefore become a shared responsibility among households, educational institutions, industries, and places of worship. Simple practices such as repairing leaking pipes, harvesting rainwater, protecting riverbanks, avoiding contamination of water bodies, and promoting efficient irrigation contribute to safeguarding one of Allah’s greatest blessings. Every effort to preserve water is an investment in public health, food security, and the
wellbeing of future generations.
Unfortunately, indiscriminate disposal of refuse remains a significant challenge in many communities. Plastic waste clogs drainage systems, contributes to flooding during the rainy season, pollutes rivers and beaches, and threatens marine ecosystems. Open burning of waste further degrades air quality and poses serious health risks, particularly for children and the elderly (UNEP,2024).
The author is Chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governnace Expert.
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