Our minds and attitudes as Ghanaians

“Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different. Life would undergo a change of appearance because we ourselves had undergone a change in attitude”. This quote by Katherine Mansfield ideally and practically should have been the sum total of our collective mental faculties as it relates to real life situations. But amazingly, this statement or quote cannot actually reflect the image of the mindset of us and Ghanaians as a whole. William James, the pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, understood clearly the nature and character of the environment he found himself when he postulated that “the greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind.”

In all of the above it is incontrovertible that the word attitude seems to be key in the development of rational well focused groups of people. Attitude has been defined as a complex mental state involving beliefs, feelings values and dispositions to act in certain ways. This means that the sum total of persons beliefs, feelings, values and dispositions informs the person to register a certain act which in turn influences his/her perceptions, decisions and even, his/her real life situations. But wielding an attitude per se does not make one the most enlightened or part of the attitudinal renaissance, it is rather ones ability to adopt to attitudinal change that makes one stand out tall amongst the lot.

Wikipedia simplifies my work with a definition as this, “attitudinal changes are the gradual or sudden transformation of attitude toward the attitude object: an idea, person, any tangible object (foreign-made cars), concept, etc. brought about by new information learned, or by events natural or otherwise, or commercials etc. The change can either be positive or negative; from hating the object to liking it (positive change) or from liking to hating (negative change).”

Both positive and negative change is good for a society to develop and all of us as Ghanaians have to gravitate towards using lenses which would bring about an attitudinal change leading to a total transformation in the country we currently find our selves in. Can one argue with me for saying that Ghanaians now need a change in attitude to power Ghana’s development train? I bet you should not that is if you really look at the current state of affairs, in terms of the mindset of some Ghanaians if not all, and how politics in general has made some leading political figures look so vindictive and not trustworthy.

As Ghanaians who have nationalist perspectives and want to see Ghana as a “political state” only during elections, let us ask ourselves these questions and try to find answers to them. Let us evaluate them from all angles of intellectual discourse and see whether the current government, the NPP administration, can continue to improve upon our development if attitudinal changes do not move from a level of negative to zero and then positively, for all Ghanaians.

Can the filth that has engulfed the capital cities be cleared by a political party without a committed positive attitude from all Ghanaians from every political divide? Watch the Odorna and Korle Lagoon for instance. Do you know that in Singapore it is illegal to use the toilet without flushing, and you will be fined? Even if you throw sputum in public you are fined heavily.

Can you imagine every Tom, Dick and Harry destroying government properties because they are angry with a decision that was taken? Yes to put it bluntly, the vandalistic tendencies of the “Katangees” of KNUST. Is it not a negative mental attitude?

This is a bit serious. How on earth do you explain a fellow university mate of yours urinating wherever his/her bladder can carry him/her or throwing iced water sachet any where on the environment not minding whether the plastic is biodegradable or not? How then can we inculcate into the young ones the essence of a clean environment if fathers, mothers, big brothers and big sisters do just what children think is right?

Due to political expediency and political greed we find politicians, especially the opposition, intentionally maligning or throwing mud into the public just to win political favor and the electorates because they want to win the next general election. They go to the extent of insulting the presidency and the president because they are opposed to the ideologies of the party. Should it be so? As nationalists should we attack the bad policies and leave the personalities behind them? Yes, I think so because in attacking the policies the personalities behind them will change them if our criticism is better and in good taste than theirs, so leave the personalities.

How about the journalists who have a majority of politicians amongst their mist? They are equally guilty and are treacherous to say the least. Because they are politicians, they condemn all good policies of the government. Is it not a travesty of justice for a senior journalist to claim government witch-hunting in a case where motor traffic offenses have been committed by some motorists who were eagerly listening to a radio political programme in which that so-called senior journalist was part of the discussants on the programme? The irony of this is that the senior journalist claims he is a nationalist inconceivably. This is just a piece of what journalists are doing to our country now. Watch some of our electronic and print media and you will not be surprised. Is this positive attitude for growth?

Do some of our folks have any conscience at all? Just imagine Ghanaians in the civil/public services stifling government policies because it will bring credit to the party in government to consolidate their voter gains in the next election? How and why should such an attitude be given birth to at all? Ministers and policy analysts are complaining bitterly at how some of the public workers are stalling processes of government so as to make the public constantly bash the government in power. Is this not callous and dangerous for our development as a country? Yes the National Health Insurance scheme is facing this problem, the implementation of the Capitation Grant is also facing this problem likewise, the new Ghana School Feeding Programme. Therefore I always ask, “Should every political party come with its public and civil service?

We can go on and on till day break in setting examples of wayward attitude being showcased by Ghanaians. But the most important lesson we as Ghanaians have to learn from all of these examples is that, Ghana is for all of us and therefore we have to strive at all cost to combine all of our resources to repair the damage that successive military governments have caused. The combination of resources must come from the thinking caps of both majority and minority members and not their political minds since the latter is blurred with nefarious and nugatory motives and activities.

I believe as Ghanaians we must change our attitudes so that we can increase our economic, social, political and cultural prowess instantly because without the right mental look, no political party in Ghana will be able to change the filth, rot and hocus-pocus that have engulfed our mindset and our country. I will end with a belief of Eddie Rickensacker, a man of many parts and occupation and best known as a World War I fighter ace. He believes that “if you think about disaster, you will get it. Brood over death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully with confidence and faith, and life becomes secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experienced”.

I guess you also believe what Eddie said, if you do not then you have no business being around the country called Ghana or within her precincts.