By: Kodwo Brumpon

“The first casualty of war is truth.” – African proverb

There is a tale about how Gilbert Keith Chesterton, the renowned English philosopher, author, essayist, and Christian apologist, penned a brief letter to the editor of a prominent newspaper. The editor had invited readers to share their views on what they believed was amiss in the world.

As mentioned, Chesterton’s letter was brief and read as follows: “
Dear Sir, What seems to be amiss in our world? Regards, G.K. Chesterton.”

He stated that his mistake, his error, his gravest misstep” represents what is fundamentally flawed in society. Few among us possess such courage since our entire culture is saturated with popular psychological advice, fostering an environment where we often attribute our issues to others instead.

If we were to carry out a survey on what’s amiss in our country, nearly everyone among us would likely single out somebody else as the culprit—from former colonizers to politicians and civil servants. We often attribute our individual problems to external parties as well.

This perspective of holding others responsible is referred to as ‘the victim mentality.’ This way of thinking constantly views itself as a target of outside influences, be they from history, systems, or circumstances.

Therefore, each issue we face, every flaw in our personality, and all our shortcomings can be attributed to someone else’s mistake or another group’s error. Though we may not always trace their origin, we excel at assuming the role of victims.

Our alcoholics and drug abusers readily attribute their issues to frustrations inflicted by others. This mindset becomes alarming when we see that our leaders also engage in passing the buck.

Indeed, they are unable to address the country’s issues due to certain foundational gaps left by earlier administrations, coupled with other missteps they themselves failed to avoid.

What often goes unnoticed amid the blame game is that we’ve fostered a deep-seated victim mindset, which poses significant risks and hinders our progress. This issue becomes even more critical when considering the implications for our nation’s growth.

When we attribute our issues and shortcomings to others, we implicitly suggest that someone else ought to resolve these challenges for us.

The reasoning behind this mindset is that as our issues were brought about by others, another individual ought to be responsible for resolving these challenges. Could we start to grasp why we aren’t advancing in our developmental endeavors?

Suppose we attribute our headaches to others’ actions. What prevents us from accepting accountability not only for ourselves but also for them?

The reasoning behind this is that because those individuals have harmed us, it indicates they lack concern for our well-being and would never take steps to improve our situation.

Therefore, we should approach those who harm us with compassionate hearts and act as agents of forgiveness toward them, all while elevating ourselves.

It is as straightforward as adopting a more seasoned approach to self-responsibility through a profound act of acknowledgment. Yet, if we faced the truth, we would recognize that we’ve all contributed to the greed that has devastated our nation.

If we believe that our lack of development stems from external forces opposing us, we will never succeed.

This occurs due to thevictim mindset being associated with an entitlement culture, stoppingyoufrom taking action. You’d constantly seek assistance from others.

However, once we cease seeing ourselves as victims, we begin participating more in activities that enable us to collect not only our own garbage but also what others have left behind.

In short, rather than acting like victims, we ought to behave as mature individuals and handle our affairs along with those of others. It’s high time we stopped holding others accountable for our issues and started owning up to our own errors, shortcomings, and challenges.

We must never allow ourselves to feel scared when taking matters into our own hands. Regardless of whether everyone else tries to bring us down, we ought to lift ourselves up after each stumble and aim to improve upon what we’re currently achieving.

Even if just a few of us end up doing most of the work, we shouldn’t retreat. Instead, we ought to nurture an “I am solely responsible for both my own prosperity and the well-being of my community” mindset.

This will not only propel us toward adulthood, but also enable us to advance and build our country faster than if someone else were doing it for us.

Therefore, let’s move away from the ‘victim mentality’ and our small shells, and view ourselves as integral parts of this magnificent universe, connecting with all its positivity, splendor, and honesty.

Let us participate actively rather than remaining isolated. Let us recognize our shared humanity and understand how our contributions foster its growth.

Kodwo Brumpon

Serves as an executive coach at Polygon Oval, a progressive Pan-African consulting firm specializing in management and social impact initiatives fueled by data analysis. The company aims to grasp the exceptional capabilities and requirements of organizations and enterprises, assisting them in fostering synergistic relationships that drive strategic expansion and ensure long-term viability.

Feedback, proposals, along with inquiries for discussions and workshops should be directed to him at
kodwo@polygonoval.com

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