Owor Kipenji <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Letter to God
Tribal nonsense and modern sense
By Angel Richards
December 12, 2003
http://www.ghanaian-chronicle.com/231212/page2p.htm
Dear God, Here I come again. How are we? I am a bit angry at my brother Jesus but we should not quarrel in public, so we will softly handle all that later. I hope you are in perfect health anyway. Please take care of yourself up there. I need you every microsecond. Dad, despite my prayers against it, I had to bury a beloved one only last week, so my eyes are still full of tears but you�ve taught us to never complain once we are in your army. Man can�t know better, God knows best what is good. In all humility therefore, I�m back on my white horse. Lead on and I�ll follow.
This week, I am touching on tribalism. Father, honestly, I hadn�t known that tribes really existed on earth still. I had thought those were 10th century matters. Meanwhile, already strong nations of Europe have come together to form an even stronger union. I was therefore relieved to hear that the long overdue union of already weak African nations was materializing. This union of nations is the rational means left to Africa in her search for relative strength in this world where might is right. My thoughts were therefore pondering how our nations could integrate socially the more. Father, imagine therefore my surprise to hear that some were now talking of tribal superiority in this bright 20th century! Dad, please don�t laugh.
This is very sad and serious. While some are moving ahead in intellect, thinking of progressive matters, others think we should be talking tribe. With whose time? Mine? Have I no work to do? Even so, I could rest at least or study the Bible. Honestly, were it not for the replicating evil cost of tribalism all over Africa, I would have kept silent and let my tired pen too rest a bit. But Lord, "the superfluity of the mouth descends into the beard" and the goat�s idiocy affects even the sheep later, so I must get out of my sweet, strictly - single bed this cold night and write.
Father, how do I let the coming generation at least know the truth? Tribalism is the result of under-developed minds, stark spiritual poverty, unlimited ignorance, plain ungodliness and paganism. For instance, you our Lord will judge us all one by one. Why? Even Siamese twins could be totally different from each other. Anyone who has your true spirit therefore, possesses your true nature, which judges one by one. Whoever is tribalistic or racist thus inhabits the spirit of Satan whose job is to divide your children against each other. The gory genocides for which Africa is well known, took root from judging people en masse. Liberia, Rwanda, Burundi etc have had their share. Many such evil civil wars were whetted mostly on tribal enmity. But who wants to learn? While you sent us here to glorify you, we are seriously beating our own chests, expecting people to bow to us. For what? Have we finished worshipping God our creator? Father, help us the lost ones realise earl y that, progressive minds are thinking of going to the moon, so, no serious intellect has time for tribal nonsense today. How many years have we on this earth anyway to waste some on trivialities like tribal backwardness? Those who don�t want to know that we are all God�s children living humbly under His grace should keep beating their chests over superiority.
Indeed, much rests on upbringing and one�s parents. To quote my favorite writer, "When brought up to see oneself as the product of a tribe, one meets people from different tribes in life; when brought up to see oneself as the product of a race, one meets people from different races in life; but when brought up to know one is the child of God, wherever one goes, one sees only fellow children of God around." Kwesi Anyagli-Mensah.
No wonder this poet�s famous composition: AM I GOING BLIND?
While others see tribes and races, / I see only different faces. / I really strain and strain my eyes / to see clearly and tell no lies / but believe me, yours sincerely. / Humanity is all I see. / While other eyes see blacks and whites / mine seem to miss such color sights./No blacks have ever crossed my way, / no whites have I met any day. / Humanity! Humanity!. / Humanity is all I see./ Some say they see Christians somewhere / and that Moslems are here or there. / This time, I really rub my eyes / to see clearly and tell no lies /but believe me yours sincerely. / Humanity is all I see! � K. A. M.
The same poet lamented in: OH AFRICA! Whereas others have reached the moon / and may conquer more planets soon, / we are still fighting tribal wars / and soon go begging at their doors. � K.A.M.
My Lord, I know if we mean to really progress, we should think more globally than locally. Were Kofi Annan�s mind cloistered on tribe, tribe and tribe, his highest attainment may have been the post of Fantehene. Finished. But because he was thinking globally, today, the humble illustrious son of the soil heads the whole world�s United Nations. Whoever is bringing his son or daughter up along ethnic lines today, is seriously stunting and clogging the child�s intellect. Parents must know and grow! I remember a mother warning her stubborn little girl to behave otherwise, she would marry from a certain tribe. Quickly, the little girl ran to her mother and became sober! I nearly laughed. How do you bring up a child that way? Yet the said woman never misses church. Do we understand the Christian mission at all? I read adverts of people seeking marriage partners but declaring mischeviously that they did not want this or that tribe.
Fine, but why not keep this in your head alone? If you are truly cultured, at worst, you would keep such thoughts in your mind, knowing we now live in a heterogeneous society. Sad to observe, editors and publishers publish such trash!
Father, with your permission, let me reveal what Jesus once told me was the key to world peace - PHILLIPIANS 2:3. This is the key to world peace. The message there is: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or the desire to boast, but in humility, consider others as better than yourselves."
This is not meant to make one feel inferior to others of course, but it is to teach celestial humility. What triggers wars? The desire to show others where power lies and the feeling that we are greater and better than others because of this or that. Could we rather think otherwise and perceive others as better in many ways, could we even religiously see others as probably closer to God instead of thinking, like the Pharisee that, we are closer, could we but practice true humility globally and mutually, we would come to realize the wisdom in this seemingly foolish advice from Jesus via Paul. But daddy, I feel cold. I must go back to bed. All I am asking for is, come to Africa please and remind the present generation at least that we are in the 20th century. Those who want to go backwards are free to do so, but I know a lot of progressive minds out there who know they are greater than tribe and race and can�t be limited to mentally because they are the children of God, owne r of the whole universe, hence could go to China and feel at home, come back to Ghana and feel at home. Thanks for humility, thanks for reading. I must go back to my holy bed. Amen.
BT Yahoo! Broadband - Save �80 when you order online today. Hurry! Offer ends 21st December 2003. The way the internet was meant to be.
Do you Yahoo!?
Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard
