Ghana my beloved country is filled with a lot of unique talents across various spectrums of our lives as a people. Talk of politics, technology, media, sports, religion, music etc. At any gathering you could identify one or more of such uniqueness that will amaze you. You check classrooms on Sunday mornings and Friday nights and you will understand this better. I love my Ghana for this.
The million dollar question is, in any group or gathering you find yourself, do you make your uniqueness useful enough to serve the common interest of everyone?
I remember in my final year in KNUST, we had to present some group assignments. It had to strictly be in the name of the group no matter how excellent or abysmal the individual academic performances were and that was it!
Till date, I remember the people who played vital roles and those who just slept and waited for the registration sheets to sign against their names for submission. I remember also very well that some people were extremely good but they never made their knowledge useful to the group.
Instead of sharing the much they knew so the group could be strong enough to face the panels after our submission, they rather kept their know-how and the entire group was disgraced whenever we were unlucky and the “terrible” ones were pointed out to answer specific questions about our submissions. You could be unique but NOT useful.
It is only relevant knowledge that makes impact in society. If you attempt setting up a restaurant in a certain village I know somewhere, it would be very unique but not useful because the average time the inhabitants get back from their farms is 7pm by which time they would have cooked and eaten on their various farms before getting home. If you know so much but can’t coexist in a group, you knowledge is not relevant in that group. At best you should be doing everything alone and that would be better for you.
I draw so much inspiration from the writings of Paul the Apostle so permit me to cite him a few times in my write-ups. Thank you! At a point in time, he said something about knowing how to operate in a particular dimension more than the people he was addressing, which was true! Notwithstanding, he continued, that of what use would that thing be to the people if they were unable to understand what he was doing? He’d rather express that thing in a manner the people understood and that was the only way he could make himself useful to them and by extension, to make the impact that would be useful to that society.
Many a time we come across people who feel they know everything and would do anything to express what they know whether it is relevant to the situation or not. When someone collapses in a crowd, Bob Marley’s talent is useless there. We need a medical expert to administer some first aid before move on. Alternatively, the religious people could put their faith to work and it is relevant. Bob could smoke and scream and play his guitar for hours but would probably even aggravate the person’s condition. Christiano Ronaldo will equally be useless at that moment no matter the number of free kicks he scores.
How about Jackie Chan? He would even cause more casualties with his karate skills in the crowd. They are all unique in their fields but are their uniqueness useful to the situation?
Pegs are meant to be fitted into the holes alright but certain the right shape should be relevant. Sometimes when I hear some of these our Rev. Dr. Dr. Dr. and Bishop plenty plenty something something address issues, I weep deep down within for the people who have no option but to listen carefully and obey what the boss is saying. How about the ones who would slaughter you if you mentioned their names without their “honourables”? Some are simply not useful in the areas they find themselves in but they could be knowledgeable anyway.
I recently listened to a lawyer who had been hired to speak on behalf of a company on some very sensitive issues. What a terror of a lawyer he made of himself! My worrrrd!!! For some time I kept wondering to myself if he had actually been to any law school. Very unique by name (Lawyer Something something) but not useful in terms of the role he was supposed to have played.
And now to hit the issues:
If you have schooled to Heaven degree and you still think an Ashanti and an Ewe cannot stay together as husband and wife, I doubt the relevance of the level of education you claim to have attained. You might have as well remained illiterate.
If you can command stones to fall from the skies and the earth to open up its belly and you still don’t understand why a Northerner and a Kwahu cannot live together as husband and wife, your Christianity is useless though very unique. If you can’t address/analyze an issue on its merits without necessarily linking it to someone’s tribe, genetic connection, colour of skin etc., I doubt the power at work in you. Go back to the Garden of Eden and learn the creation story all over.
If you can pray in tongues and wake everybody up every dawn and you still cannot simply say “Please” and “I’m sorry” when you need to, I seriously doubt that Spirit operating in you and whether your spirituality is relevant to society. Your tongues could be demon-chasing (unique) but…
If you can recite the Bible cover to cover and you can’t descend to the level of respecting a stranger or probably someone below your rank, social status, age etc., I strongly challenge the usefulness of what you have committed to memory.
If you know all the campus stories flying around, you can name all the books in the library and you simply have issues with all your room mates, errrrrmmm I’m doubting the relevance of what you know. If you still do not know the colour of undies to wear under your dress in order not to expose certain things, errrrrmmmm… If you have read all the thick pages of those books in your departmental library and you still feel comfortable dressing with your boxer shorts being your outer garment, I just doubt the relevance of what you know.
That money you are wasting on that thing you don’t really need, someone needs it badly to save a near death situation. Make your wealth useful not only unique.
…Just to tickle us to endeavour to be unique in every way and still be useful to society wherever we find ourselves.
