Hence suppose you are in love with a beautiful lady (beautiful in the eyes of every beholder), and she comes to you that she's been slapped by a colleague in school over a trivial matter. There are several approaches to handling this situation. You could impress her by organizing some strong guys to beat up that irresponsible guy, and maybe leave a scar on his forehead so that any time he looks at himself in a mirror he will know it is bad to hit a girl over a petty issue. Or you could encourage your girl to report the matter to a higher authority at the school for a more rational resolution method. Which applies to your best self? Don't forget the meaning of the best self. If my fellow countrymen at Bawku would submit the situations which are the source of conflict and loss of lives to their best self, they won't be fighting indiscriminately. Shakespear captures this principle, most beautifully, in Hamlet: .... To thine own self be true
And it must follow, as the night the day. Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Fourthly, if a person is at quandary whether a situation is right or wrong, he/she should submit it to the test of publicity. That is, would they be comfortable if everyone in the society knew about the course of action they are taking, about to take, or already taken? If you would lose face; your trust jeopadised, your integrity and dignity squashed, then be wise. It is wrong!
Suppose your biological make-up is such that even at age sixty you still have an incredible sex drive. But your wife, only fifty, is almost an old woman. She has lost the youthful spark that drew you to her some twenty years ago. Now you are thinking of dating a bonnie young lady, twenty one, slim, tall and dark - she speaks intelligently too. Yes no one knows what you go through at dawn when your phallus won't just listen. Terrible isn't it? You don't have to be at a fix. What if everyone knew your secret intentions?
There are companies whose activities are secretly influenced by partisan interests, much against the rules and ethics of the corporate system. Truth is their peace of mind last so long as their activities are not yet in the light, but come they shall. And once it is the light, they would crumble like sandcastles on a rainy day.
There are journalists who hide under the guise of journalism to perpetuate falsehoods to deceive the trusting consumer of the media. But their days are numbered. They rejoice so long as their deeds are unknown to the public.
If a person is perplexed about a question of right or wrong, he/she should submit it to the test of his most admired personality. That is, bring the situation into the life you most esteem. Why do you think you hate to see people dump rubbish indiscriminately on the streets of Accra whiles in their car? It is because you know the beauty of a clean city. Because there is a personality in you that understands cleanliness and orderliness - this personality is what we are calling your most admired self.
So for instance, you are an ambitious and hardworking businessman who knows the importance of providing the best for your family - to you every dime counts. But you are concerned about the taxes the government charges on your transactions, and left to you alone you paid much less or nothing at all. So when an official in government approach you with a scheme to cheat the system you find yourself thinking whether to go along with this scheme or not. But what is the essence of taxes? All things being equal, taxes are to help build the societal infrastructure you could not single handedly put in place for the betterment of your society; to empower the country financially. Anyone who evokes his/her most admired personality knows that to going along with such a dubious act will only be short-lived. Your most admired personality is that which takes up responsibility; that which craves to follow the rules and laws without scruples.
Your most admired personality knows that hanging out with hookers, or jumping from one man to the other is ‘fun' - you don't owe any commitment to anybody - but will choose to settle with a single partner and build a home. Finally if a man is unsure whether a course of action is right or wrong, he/she should submit it to the test of foresight. What is the possible outcome of this course of action of mine? The third law of motion in physics applies here. The third law of motion states that action and reaction are equal and opposite. That is, when you pick one end of a stick you automatically pick the other end too.
Foresight is the vision you have of things yet to be. Even though it is enhanced by age and experience, these do not essentially guarantee its perfection. There are old men who have made mistakes their children would not make. Foresight is enhanced by a humble disposition to think through an action before doing; considering all dimensions of a situation before taking a step. Foresight is enhanced by searching for wisdom; wisdom is acquired by objective appreciation of events now and then. Foresight is thwarted by sensitivity and emotional attachment to situations.
Your party failed to win in the elections because the authority to oversee the whole process is alleged to have taken certain inconsistent actions. The ombudsmen to inquire into the matter can not be trusted; they are all ‘corrupt'. Wouldn't you and the whole angry squad just storm into the camp of this corrupt authority to give them a sound beating? And after that pay a visit to the ‘winning' party and give them a lesson on the importance of fairness in elections? But after that what next? What if you and your squad met with a tougher squad? Think through your actions before you act!
So any time you are worried about a situation, apply it to the test of common sense, of the principle of the Golden Rule, of the best self, of publicity, of the most admired personality, and of foresight, and you would have saved yourself a headache. In doing so you would be helping to build a better African society.
