“The wise are spoken to in proverbs, not plain language.” – Ghanaian proverb
One of the renowned philosophies of our fathers is “one person does not constitute a council”. This was aimed at preventing the decoupling of ideas and people, and more importantly to connect ourselves to each other because our interconnections are good and important for us. It was a concept that challenged the individual and society to reach out to others, because we cannot solve problems on our own. At the very least, we know life or living is not some zero-sum struggle. Rather, it is concept we are all in together that uses our talents and resources to overcome the challenges which keep coming at us as we strive to become better every day.
Interestingly, we all know the call to engage each other is for our own good. Many of us understand that its objective is aimed at helping all of us to view each other as partners, rather than competitors or even adversaries. That is why some of us find it
Mind-boggling that we have cultivated attitudes which contrast what is good for ourselves. Do we not all want progress and development that goes round for everyone to enjoy the wonderful things of this life, as well as the goodness welled-up in individuals? It might be a tough call that requires a lot of goodwill and a willingness to be good by all people. Nevertheless, it is the most important thing we can do for ourselves.
Sadly, and for whatever reasons, we have suppressed the wisdom of our fathers, and our society is hence polarised along political, religious and cultural lines. And the division is so deep we are almost always denouncing the ideas and ideals that can make us develop. The downside of this is we are not solving our problems together. As a matter of fact, we do not even have structured, strategic dialogues in the first place, much less being able to come up with holistic solutions for our challenges. We need to understand that we are one people, and we should focus on engaging each other constructively. We should be tapping into each other’s ideals in order to forge the ideals that will shape our attitudes and future.
We should not believe that we can flourish by ourselves. That is not just contrary to the laws of nature, but is also the basis for many challenges that hold us back. For too long, we have been missing out on the wonderfulness in the people we refuse to engage. If we truly want to move forward, we need each other. The ‘I-am-good-by-myself” mentality is a self-induced illusion that is fuelled by pride. It gives an aura of importance; but in reality it exposes one’s ignorance about living and the need for life to flourish in an ecosystem. We are dependent beings. There has never been any human who has lived by him or herself. It is not possible and it will never be feasible. We will always need others. That is why we need to work on ourselves to tolerate and accommodate other opinions, cultures and even ideologies.
Our search for truth may lead us down different paths. That is the beauty of diversity. But its essence is for us to share the knowledge each one of us has gained, so that we can learn from each other to enrich our understanding of living. Thus, when we refuse to engage others, we are only sustaining our illusions and becoming self-damaging individuals whose actions and inactions harm our society. As individuals, we need to tone down the pride we pump into our chests and humble ourselves to engage each other. It is a lot of work; but this is the work that elevates us to be ‘greater beings’.
Engaging others constructively is beautiful and uplifting. It not only pushes us to learn from our circumstances, but also the experiences of others. It provides us with the strength with which to think new ways, new ideas and a renewed society. An engaged person cannot talk about who they are without talking about those who have shaped him or her. They are the ones who recognise that where they stand is not solid ground, but on the shoulders of giants. They see living as a cosmos of human connection and a sensemaking mechanism for flourishing; and they go the extra length to bring people together – not just to enjoy each other’s company, but also to share ideas and talk about ideals that impact lives and make living meaningful…
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Kodwo Brumpon is a partner at Brumpon & Kobla Ltd., a forward-thinking Pan African management consultancy and social impact firm driven by data analytics – with a focus on understanding the extraordinary potential and needs of organisations and businesses to help them cultivate synergies which catapult them into strategic growth and certify their sustainability.
Comments, suggestions and requests for talks and training should be sent to him at kodwo@brumponand kobla.com
