IT'S NOT ENOUGH

Is it enough to just live?

Is it enough to just smile?

Is it enough to just claim?

Is it enough to just desire?

Is it enough to just work?

Is it enough to just be content?

It is not enough to just live because everybody is living, if we are not willing to learn the lessons of light, love and LIFE.

It is not enough to just be a female or male, when our unique roles are imprisoned in misguided pleasurable guilt.

It is not enough to just be students of life, if we are unwilling to listen and observe the rhythms and silent queues of life.

It is not enough to complain and talk about our problems, when there are practical things we could do to work on them.

It is not enough to just want to belong to a family or an association for the beauty of it, if we are not willing to commit and tolerate other views.

It is not enough to just want to marry, if we are not ready for the responsibilities.

It is not enough to just be a teacher for the fun of wanting to teach, when teaching techniques trails in transit.

It is not enough to just want to write, if we are not ready to inform, form, reform and transform.

It is not enough to just want to read for the fun of reading, if we are not ready to contest the lies in the slangs.

It is not enough to just want to be heard on waves, without wading into the wards of people’s conscience.

It is not enough to just want to be a leader, if our care and concern is only catering for our comfort.

It is not enough to just be a lawyer, for the fun of being called a learned colleague, when layers of laws are lowered daily.

It is not enough to just be a judge for judging sake, if people can’t feel the essence of justice.

It is not enough to be engineers, when our engineering acumen is celebrated in our lofty criticisms.

It is not enough to just be a technocrat, when technological issues are still struggling to breathe.

It is not enough to just be a nurse, when our efforts at caring are still questionable.

It is not enough to be a doctor, when doctoring is overly monetised and conditioned.

It is not enough to just be an economist, when our economy is always suffocating to survive.  

It is not enough to just be a banker, when people are still basking in the banks of poverty.

It is not enough to just be an auditor, when our institution’s accounts are always baldly bad, with serious loopholes.

It is not enough to just dream dreams, when the arms and legs of our dreams are amputated or molested by our doubts and fears.

It is not enough to just be a musician, when our songs are terribly entertaining the noisy woes of our state.

It is not enough to just be artist, when our standards of arts and crafts are bereft of innovation. 

It is not enough to just be a draftsman, when designs still wail for creative renewal.

It is not enough to just be a steal bender, when we still bend those rusty steals every day.    

It is not enough to be a farmer, when our farms can no longer feed our famine.

It is not enough to just work to for working sake, when we become dead to the ugly routines of the work.

It is not enough to be independent, when we continually look to the west for our daily bread.

It is not enough to call ourselves nationals, when all we do is to superintendent the nonsense of our lovely cronies.

It is not enough to call ourselves patriots, when all we do is to fight and sacrifice true altruism to protect our faithless compatriots.

It is not enough to preach prudence, when preachers abuse the aura surrounding divine Providence.  

It is not enough to pretend to police our safety, when our integrity is polished with small brides.

It is not enough to publish our political credentials, when we make the game an unfriendly murderous affair.

It is not enough to parade our titles, when our deeds do not matchup the pride in the accolades.

It is not enough to proclaim a worthy public service, when our unworthy red tape becomes unnecessarily long and frustrating.

It is not enough to mourn the dead, when all we do is to make merry and celebrate as if we are praising death.

It is not enough to support sporting events, when some supervisors siphon the sources. 

It is not enough to inspire people, when people are thirsty and need water.

It is not enough to just talk about our problems, if we are not ready to take up the pain of doing something about them.

It is not enough to talk development, when the basic building blocks are underdeveloped or missing.

It is not enough to be called Enoch or Anokye, when all we do is terrorise the sanctity of our baptism and initiation.

It is not enough to be called Christians, when we refuse to courageously carry our crosses.

It is not enough to be called Moslems, when our mistakes repel the messages in our mission.

It is not enough to be called traditionalist, when we sit unconcern about the illicit romance modernity is having with our cherished values.

It is not enough to be called atheist, when we still admire the works of the Supreme Master Creator. 

It is not enough to pray hundred times, when we are not ready to pay the price of commitment and live a disciplined faith required to await God’s time.

It is not enough to follow beautiful creeds, when we are unwillingly shunning the practices of its demands.

It is not just enough to be called blessed people when we sinfully corrupt our holy temples.

It is not enough to mention the beautiful names of our towns and villages or point our right index fingers the handsome paths to these towns, when the absurdities of our people continue to repel progress.   

It is not enough to showcase our beautiful cultures, when our prejudices and stereotypes about each other still topple a cohesive national heritage.

It is not enough to celebrate our uniquely rich cultures, when our people continuously drum the different drums of discord and ethnocentrism.

It is not enough to always drum and dance our joys, when our norms and standards are still hurting and wasting precious lives.    

It is not enough to claim the credit of care, when all we do is to lobby for pecks, prestige, property and praises from others.

It is not enough to crave for new things, when we have an awkward maintenance culture.

It is not enough to criticise others, when we are equally guilty of their symbolic sins.

It is not enough to conform to the conducts of others, when we are intrinsically unique.

It is not enough to chastise corrupt steward, when our actions rather promote and applaud them.

It is not enough to just prepare to plan beautiful projects, when our people continue to plunder worthy programmes for our common good.

It is not enough to make nice speeches, when we continue to showcase things other than the ideals in our beautiful words.

It is not enough to boast of our identity, when we keep running away from the responsibilities our identity imposes.

It is not enough to invite investors into a space without spelling a fairer rule of engagement that respects our ecology.

It is not enough to appear to be fighting poverty, when our efforts continue to increase the wealth of the wealthy and punish the poverty of the poor.

It is not enough to talk of being security conscious when our backyard is insecure, with hundreds of unman porous borders.

It is not enough to always blame our leaders for everything, including our collective negligence and irresponsibility.

It is just not enough to say the problem is our leaders and a question of leadership, when we are all leaders by right.   

It is just not enough to always find reasonable excuses to give, when we know very well what we ought to do.

It is not just enough to say ‘as for me I don’t care’, when we all know the bitter truth that we are all affected when there is an epidemic, an outbreak or an attack.

It is not just enough to just sit unconcern, when we all: individually and collectively can do something worthwhile with our beautiful talents breathing with life.

It is not enough to just say it’s not enough, when we all can something to contribute to authentic progress.

It is not enough to just tell us we don’t have money, when I am pretty aware you are mercilessly taking your wages and allowance without complaining.

It is not enough to just tell us we talk too much when you are reneging on what you ought to do to bring us that much needed relief.

  

There is something we can all do today. There is an extra effort we can make this very moment.

There is some level of creativity and vitality we all have imbedded in us that we can infuse in our daily endeavours to breathe fresh beauty in our work.

There is something extra we can all offer to still make our lives, our families, our nations and our Afrikan continent that great one in the face of all adversities.   

2nd Nov. 2015

Oyibi, Accra