Life is dreadful, for about 7,000 new-borns die each day.  In addition, tons of adults die every day: some from accident, others from sickness. Some die out of hunger while others die chasing their dreams. Nevertheless, life is as well wonderful; about 386,000 new-babies are born each day. While some animal and plant species are going extinct, sunrise and sea waves remain beautiful. And while some nations are constantly being destroyed by the plague of incompetence and corruption, other nations are covering the horizon with skyscrapers. Life is both bitter and sweet.

Young men across continents flourish at the peak of unemployment. They have flourished under dictatorship, and they flourished when the economies of their countries seemed irreparable. In some well-developed countries, we have seen very intelligent young men become homeless and having to sleep under bridges. This reveals something crucial. It tells us that to succeed extends beyond living in a good economy. I suppose it has to do with the attitude, too. Yes, there are so many reasons to complain, so let us complain, but let us not waste our lives complaining. We cannot reconcile our lives to depression and poverty, for life is not only dreadful; it is also wonderful.

Do not get me wrong. It is exceedingly difficult to prosper in a nation that offers very limited opportunities to its citizens. In an environment where crime is sometimes glamorised and heroes not honoured, it extremely hard to make it. However, it not impossible. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Yes, every difficult situation still has beneath it some opportunities. Every problem conveys with it some nuggets of gold as a gift for people who are daring enough. Life is both dreadful and wonderful. Why give in to despair?

Every life is made up of seconds and minutes, hours and days. Moreover, each day is precious. So, how do you spend each minute of your life? How do you spend each hour of your life? How do you spend each day of your life? What are you doing personally to escape the scourge of unemployment? Let us find answers to these questions as we legitimately amp up pressure on our leaders to create a conducive environment for businesses to blossom. An environment that offers equal opportunity to all and rewards hard work.

 As we press our politicians to create opportunities for us, inspire patriotism in us through their actions and measure up to their responsibilities, let us understand that even our current status quo harbours a myriad of opportunities for those who do not take No for an answer. As we demand that jobs are given, based on merit and not acquaintance nor political influence, there are still some opportunities hanging out there for those who search wide and round. Life is dreadful and wonderful, so if we patiently and persistently look enough, we will find. And where we can’t find, let’s create. We have the options of jumping over the obstacles on our way, going around it, or tearing it apart to get to the other side, which is success.

Luckily, we live in an oasis of peace—Ghana. Moreover, we, the youth of Ghana, has infinite potential to succeed in any arena of life. So let us not be carried away by the crying crowd, or by the sorrows of the present or the emotions of the past. Life is both dreadful and wonderful. Hence, let us take initiatives, now! For we never had a perfect environment, neither shall we ever have one in which we can effortlessly convert our dreams into reality. Start something, and keep doing it until you can do something better.

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The author is Founder of ‘Let Your Thought out (LYTO)’, an organization focused on empowering the youth to use Writing and Speaking as legitimate tools to contribute to nation building.

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