It is day five in my Ghana pilgrimage and I feel more acclimated to the hot humid climate and the way of life here .
Today’s lesson for me : Don’t glorify or vilify , just witness .
I have come to realize in my short time here that it is human nature to either judge what we disapprove of or to put on a pedestal what we lack.
There are so many things I love about the Ghanaian people .. they are hospitable , have open hearts , are kind and deeply spiritual, their presence is magnificent and they carry a dignity and pride which is unforced and natural to them .
On the shadow side they believe in corporal punishment both at home and at school , they can be lazy , corruption is rampant and it is apparently not uncommon for a person who suffers from mental illness to be tossed out onto the street by their family if the family lacks the financial resources to get them treatment. I have had to ask myself how such extremes could live side by side in a culture and in an individual . But I have come to realize is that one behavior does not cancel out the others … the light and dark can actually live in some semblance of harmony . And so, I keep my opinions both positive and negative to myself and just get curious .
There was no work for me today although they neglected to tell us this so I showed up at 8 am ready for work and the building was locked .
Classic laid-back Ghanaian way … they forgot !
Today was Independence Day in Ghana . Ghana has been free from the colonialism of the British for 61 years and boy are they happy about that !! The minister gave a beautiful speech that I hope inspired many , but there are so many obstacles here to creating a healthy economy and truly stable social , economic and political infrastructure.
Life is slower here. People do not seem to suffer from the chronic anxiety and depression that plagues the West .
They are simply present to the moment … neither bad nor good .
But I am enjoying the stillness it brings to my mind .
Good night friends !
