Friday, February 11, 2011

Little to Say About A Lot


You can’t see what I saw.  You can’t hear what I heard.  And most of all you can’t feel what I felt.  Yes you can passively view pictures and videos, but it isn’t the same.  Through my blog I have attempted to describe the simple things, but when it came time to writing about the serious, difficult issues of my experience I appear nearly speechless (hence the elapsed time between blog entries).  Culture is complex and my thoughts about the Ghanaian culture are no different. 
            Insufficient infrastructure as well as the deterioration of individual responsibility has led to haphazard development and a dependence on handouts.  All of which undermines progress.  There must be a way to utilize the rich natural and human resources of Ghana for the betterment of the people.  Ghana is a nation held together on religious conviction alone.  The belief in ones self is overshadowed by the belief that “God will provide.”  Government revisions must be made to empower individuals to initiate change in innovative ways.  Poverty will not be overcome without utilizing the entire population to move the country forward.  I sure don’t have the answers.
            Though I don’t view my experience as a complete success, I don’t see it as a completely failure either.  Albert Einstein didn’t speak until the age of 3.  He failed his college entrance exams.  His first academic paper was written on the physics of fluids in a drinking straw.  Just like Einstein, not everything is my life will be considered profound and successful.  I wasn’t able to accomplish much in Ghana, but I guess there is still hope for me.  If I become famous like him remind me to at least brush my hair.  





1 comment:

  1. A little at a time!! we all leave there changed in some way .. we may not feel we have achieved much but I pray that from little things big things grow!! Seems I was not alone in my feeling that what I achieved fell short of my goals ..but I am not finished yet!!

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