DIFFERENT PATHS!

More often than not we try to compete among ourselves for the scarce resources that nature has endowed us with. Competition is good, but how we compete matters a lot.

In school, we compete for the top position through whichever means. In the place of worship, we compete among ourselves to gain the attention of others through the best hair-do, shoes, dress among others instead of being focused on our Creator.

In the family, we compete among ourselves for the greatest family property, fame/titles, or recognition.
In politics, we compete for the juiciest positions, we fight for titles, fame, wealth and class/status regardless of the means by which such are attained. We deceive the people that we mean well, we get there and show them that we meant wealth for ourselves.

At home and at school, children are taught by their parents and teachers that in order to make it in life, they must fight to beat their colleagues in everything ranging from sports to academics through fair or foul means. They grow up and the circle continues.

In all the above scenarios, we tend to forget that God is not a creator of confusion so regardless of where we find ourselves, our paths are not the same. We tend to forget that we can't all have certain things at the same time but whatever the case may be, God in His own wisdom has created for us different paths (destinies), hence the failure of one man is not the guarantee for another's success and vice versa.

This life can be likened to meeting different people at a transport yard, some will be traveling to the North, others  to the South, East, West and others may not be traveling at all, they just accompanied some of the travelers to the transport yard.

Just as we strive to win almost everything for ourselves, we must learn and also teach our young ones how to lose some battles graciously with integrity, we've got to let them know that, in life you will win some battles and lose some. It is alright to lose sometimes.

You see, the world is becoming too self-centred or driven by selfishness. Life becomes more meaningful when we stay true to ourselves, appreciative of what God has given us, work hard in dignity and stay focused. In that way, we shall all be great if not greater in our chosen fields at His own time because He has created for us, different paths.

Prosper Dzitse

Ghana's Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth

THE DILEMMA OF A SAINT

Ali and Frank have a friendship that has lasted several decades. They have many things in common, a fact which serves to nourish their friendship even more. There are also many things which they don’t necessarily have in common. One is that Ali is Asante whereas Frank is Ewe. Another is that Ali is a Muslim and Frank is a Christian. The first has no consequence because much of it is socially constructed. In other words, all the cultural differences between their ethnic groups are man-made and there can be no consequence thereto. The second one however has a consequence; in Ali’s mind, being a Muslim will produce a positive consequence namely a divine reward in the form of heaven whilst not being a Muslim will have a negative consequence. Same is true for Frank.

So there you have a Christian who has a Muslim friend. They are so good to each other that he will do whatever it takes to protect the friend from harm. The feeling is mutual and his Muslim friend will do just the same. But both of them believe in Hell fire to be the greatest of all harm, yet Frank must believe that Ali will go to Hell because he (Ali) doesn't believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and personal Saviour. In the same vein, Ali must believe that Frank will go to Hell because he (Frank) doesn't believe in Prophet Muhammad as the last and noblest prophet. It is their humanity that makes them believe in a spiritual being (God) yet their spirituality insists a betrayal of their humanity. Such is the great dilemma which is better not thought of, let alone spoken about but holds true nonetheless.

Could the solution lie in Ali changing his faith to become Christian? Perhaps! For certainly, he will not have to believe that Frank will be burnt by the fire. He will now believe that both of them are saved from the punishment of the fire. But that is only in respect of Frank. What about Salim, the other friend who is not as close to Ali as Frank but who grew up together with in the same neighbourhood and who he certainly will not want to be in harm’s way? Salim is a Muslim and by virtue of Ali’s new faith must be believed to be a companion of the ultimate fire. For a person who has several Christian friends and several Muslim friends, it is impossible to escape this dilemma.

Millions of people across the world have this difficulty; and it exists even if they have never thought about it. Through their life and work, they come into contact and form lasting friendships with people of different faiths and if they happen to be religious people, then their dilemma is the same as Ali’s. Sometimes it is so unpleasant that one will rather push it to the side of the brain where he will never remember it. But it remains a fact of his life regardless.

Clearly, it is an unending affliction. For as long as people believe in institutionalized religion, no matter what it is, which makes them believe in God, heaven and hell, their dilemma will forever remain. How to resolve it is the question with which all humanity must grapple.

There are those who do not believe in institutionalized religion; they may believe in God but they don’t believe in any religious creed. These people are somewhat free from such an affliction because for them, God does not reward based on belief in Jesus or Muhammad or any intermediaries for that matter. There are yet those who do not even believe that there is God.  For them, everything religion is socially constructed and is of no more consequence than ethnicity. They too have no dilemma. But it is inevitable that their Christian or Muslim friends and family – if they have any – will think of them in the same light that Ali and Frank of each other regarding the hereafter. Indeed in most cases, the Christians and Muslims categorise themselves into “Believers” in opposition to the “Disbelievers” and when this happens, there is the conception among the “Believers” of a higher grade punishment reserved for the “Disbelievers”. The believers are seen as the saints while the disbelievers are seen as the devil. In other words, a believer friend of a disbeliever will certainly believe that the latter will go to hell even if the disbeliever does not think same of him.

In all this, the common humanity between humans is often relegated to the background because it is supposed to be of this world and in the hierarchy of things that follow man to the other world, it is not very high up. For if not so, then why must Christians believe that someone who has done so much good to fellow human beings is headed for hell fire simply because he is not a born again Christian? And why must Muslims believe that regardless of what good you do on this earth, you cannot be rewarded Heaven if you don’t believe in Prophet Muhammad? And why would God create humans but yet make humanity count so less?

Perhaps there is the need for a rethink of what humanity really means and what place spirituality should have in humanity or what place humanity should have in spirituality; for the dilemma of the saint seems perpetual.

Hardi Yakubu