'Animals are not greedy'

For the importance Ghanaians attach to celebrating Easter or Eid ul-Adha, 2020 has been different. The pomp, pageantry and the outward show of ostentation associated with the two festivals did not materialize, courtesy COVID-19.

In 2009 however, my Easter was different.

Nairobi 2009

While serving in Uganda as President Chissano’s Senior Military UN Adviser for the Lord’s Resistance Army –Affected Areas from 2008-2009, my wife and I were invited by a Kenyan General to Nairobi for Easter 2009. Our one week stay in Kenya was not only exciting, it was educative.

We visited the Nairobi National Park. Unlike a zoo where animals are caged, the Park is a huge fenced game reserve where animals live in their natural environment and move about freely as they would in the wild.

Nairobi National Park

My friend wanted us to enter the park immediately it was opened at 6 am. The objective was for us to see as many animals as possible before they withdrew into the bush with the rising of the sun. As intended, we were the first to enter the park.

After a few minutes’ drive, a spectacle I had never beheld burst on my sight! I saw the frightening spectacle of two lions, the male and his wife. As my host drove closer to them, my protests increased! My protests notwithstanding, he drove to within six feet of the lions and asked me to take pictures of them. Still protesting, I took some quick shots and ordered him to move away! It was at this stage that my amused friend said something which has stayed with me.

He said “Dan, unlike us humans, animals are not greedy!”

Animals!

Recalling why he made us enter the park at 6 am, he explained that, carnivorous animals like lions spend the night hunting. By dawn, they would have eaten to their fill. Thereafter, all they want is a shady place to rest once day breaks. Until the food digests and is excreted some days later, the satiated lion harms no-one except in self-defence.

Antelope or Zebra

He added that, a lion would hunt an antelope because it knows that would be enough for it. However, a pride of lions would go after a bigger animal eg a zebra so the family can feast on it.

He concluded that, since hunger is the instinct which makes carnivores like lions hunt, once that need is satisfied, they are harmless.

For us humans however, once a need is satisfied, we graduate to wants, which we don’t need. So humans will kill just to satisfy our greed. We want to own six cars when all we need is one.

Animals are not greedy!

Ahmed’s education reminded me of a play I watched in school in the mid-1960s. The Pardoner’s Tale in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales was titled “Radix malorum est cupiditas (“greed is the root of all evil”)

Greed

In the play, three friends chanced on a vault of gold in the countryside. After the initial excitement, they decided to guard the gold till nightfall when they would carry their booty home without any interference. While two guarded the gold the third was sent to go to the nearest village to buy food.

As soon as the food buyer left, the two guards plotted to kill him on arrival so they would share the gold. As he went, he thought of having all the gold to himself. He decided to kill his two friends. Having bought the food, he ate his and laced the rest with poison. Although I watched this play about fifty years ago, I still have a vivid mental picture of all three friends dead on the stage. Greed!

Laziness

Many years ago, the song of the year was “Sika y3 mogya,” (money is blood/life). Unfortunately, some Ghanaians do not put in the hard work needed to make money legitimately.

Ghanaian society respects rich people irrespective of how they came by the money. Therefore, people demand bribes and steal fearlessly.

Conclusion

Greed has been the bane of many societies including ours. It is the foundation on which corruption is built with the evil fruits of despicable language, stealing, bribery and corruption, violence and murders. The accompanying arrogance is amazing.

To our leaders and also the led, remember Chaucer’s quote that “greed is the root of all evil.” Perhaps, we must learn from animals. Remember, we are ordinary mortals whose lives will end someday. So, why the greed?

To develop as a nation, we must exorcise greed and be content with what we work hard for legitimately.

Fellow Ghanaians, WAKE UP!

The writer is a former CEO, African Peace Support Trainers Association, Nairobi, Kenya and Council Chairman, Family Health University College, Teshie, Accra

dkfrimpong@yahoo.com