DESIDERATA

So as for you, the only reason why you are still alive because it is illegal to kill you! You give me the impression that, your absence in this life would affect not even a single thing. Why do you think that anything anyone does better is than yours? Yes you! You are the one I’m referring to. You saw your course mate vying for JCR presidency in Mensah Sarbah Hall and you thought contending for such positions was a thing for extremely intelligent people. Yes, of course leaders ought to be intelligent; but that is not my headache is. My problem is how you always belittle yourself and give others the chance to make you feel inferior.

When I was young, I used to think that anyone wearing glasses was a very intelligent person, who could in fact give you the solution to a mathematical equation on the spot. Today I know better. I know that, it is neither in strength, nor in age, appearance or wealth that true capacity always lies. Standing at a distance, you will always think you cannot do what others do. I preach this message to let you know that, looking down on yourself is a disgrace to your personality and makes you a liability to this world. Last week you lost a chance to do an exchange programme abroad just because you were so timid to stand up for the whole class to see you when the Head of Department came to mention your name in class. You got to know later about this and wept all day.

Sometimes we lose focus of our dreams just because of what someone says and we soon forget that certainly not everyone would like our dream. Well, I understand that you’ve made some efforts in the past to achieve a thing or two, but it failed because you lacked confidence. Marcus Garvey said: “Without confidence you lost the battle before you even started.”

You are in level 300; in case you’ve forgotten, let me remind you. And let me remind you also that you’ve never done any vacation attachment neither have you served on any board, nor joined any committee. You have been asked to lead group prayers at your church on several occasions but you declined with the reason that you did not think you had the skill to do it. Sometimes, I’m tempted to ask how you entered this university.

Sad is the day for any man when he becomes absolutely satisfied with the life he is living, when he knows that there is a lot to be achieved and that he has not utilized his potential. The Apostle Paul even after all the achievement he had attained said in Philippians that  he doesn’t consider himself to have gotten there, but one thing he does is that he press on towards the goal forgetting about the past. If you choose to continue this way you are telling the world that you belong to the temperament type: “I can’t do it” but I am here to give you a new a manner of life; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

Emancipate yourself from the philosophy that holds you inferior to all manner of people. Never allow anyone to laud over. I urge you to be ambitious and let out your full potentials. Give yourself a new vision and don’t let it die! Someday, you will come to understand what Helen Keller meant when she said; “You people pity blind people, but I pity a man without a vision.”

As you journey through this university, always remember that you are not in competition with any student; you are neither inferior nor superior, you are simply you and that YOU is unique. All the best!!!