NATURE VS. NURTURE: LESSONS FROM THE PAST (IN THE GHANAIAN CONTEXT)

I believe that many of us have heard of this famous argument in relation to character formation. I have been wondering about this issue for quite some time in relation to the attitudes of Ghanaians. Any time I talk to my parents, they remind me of how things have turned out for the worse in the country, in this era of technological advancement. Their argument is based on the fact that during their time Ghana was clean, people were hardworking and kind, respectful and purposeful. They claim in that era, citizens had respect for authority and trusted the decisions of the heads of communities (chiefs); albeit this argument has its pitfalls, the epitome of the argument holds to some extent in the 'traditional' Ghanaian setting (Here traditional refers to years before technological advancement). So where did we falter?

During 'their time', some of the systems they talk about was the "saman saman," free and quality education, free and quality healthcare and the use of 'stools' to settle dispute (stool here represent the authority of chiefs and in delegated terms family heads). Whenever I hear them speak of the 'good old days', I ask myself, what was good about those days? Those days were without personal computers, laptops, palmtops, internet, touch-screens, HDTV, cellular/mobile technology, fast cars, etc., the list can go on and on. Despite all these, I still find meaning in their statement. If so, then the big question is, 'WHY HAVEN'T THEY TAUGHT THEIR CHILDREN ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MADE THEIR DAYS GOOD?

If we consider this argument from the Nurture point of view, then I would expect parents to teach their children the values that they hold dear; that is, the values that made their days good. This is because when children are born they come to this world "tabula rasa" (with a clean slate with respect to the mind). It is through socialization that they learn mannerisms and character. FROM THIS I CAN INFER THAT IF CHILDREN FAIL TO ACQUIRE THE CHARACTER OR ATTITUDES THAT IS DEEMED APPROPRIATE BY SOCIETY IT IS BECAUSE THE FIRST POINT OF CONTACT FOR SOCIALIZATION (THE FAMILY) FAILED TO DO THEIR JOB. With this said, we have the appropriate basis to consider the nature argument.

Now those arguing from the nature perspective posit that we learn from our environment. That is, the things we see around us form our attitudes. Hence, a person who grows up in an environment where s/he has to fight for survival de facto develops an aggressive attitude towards life. Those who grow up in an environment filled with dirt might never see anything wrong with engaging in activities the compound the problem. From this, I deduce that BECAUSE THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT IN THE COUNTRY ENCOURAGES MEDIOCRITY AND THE TENACITY NOT TO DO RIGHT (PER THE STANDARD), THE NATION IS FALLING APART GRADUALLY.

CONCLUSION
The Nature and Nurture arguments provides us with two best alternatives to deal with societal problems; in this regard, the Ghanaian problem.
One is by focusing on those institutions that nurture our character and attitudes. Here we are talking of family, educational institutions, social groups and religious denominations. These institutions right from the start should teach and encourage its members to be respectful, disciplined, persevering, and purposeful. It should be the job of these institutions to encourage nationalism and the pursuit of excellence. Nothing short of this standard should be encouraged. This is not to imply that we should overly destroy ourselves in the quest for perfection. The balance must be kept.

The other solution is by focusing on the environment. Here , the government must focus on strengthening those institutions that are crucial to the nation's development. Public sector institutions like Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Water, Works and Housing, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Internal Revenue Service, now Ghana Revenue Authority, Ministry of Education, and the Court system, especially, must be elevated to world acceptable standards

The point I am trying to make is this, as the nation pursues a better Ghana agenda, which I believe should be 'the best Ghana' agenda, we should not encourage the culture of mediocrity and 'substandardness' if that is a word. The pursuit of perfection should also not lead us to ostracize and reject those who are slow to catch up. Rather, with love and encouragement, we should keep motivating ourselves till we all get there. WE SHOULD FOREVER SAY NO TO MEDIOCRITY! This is the way to change the saying of our parents, they should say, this era is the best era to live in, not the 'olden days'.