Planetary Liberation Day is to sensitize the world about the fundamental issues that distance human beings from true peace. The day is usually marked with workshops, seminars, symposia, public lectures, television and radio broadcast, all aimed at conscientising the world to address the fundamental issues that affects peace.
Since its inception in 2001, the themes have evolved around 3 major issues
This seeks to sensitize the world about the need to work towards the eradication of fear and anger.
Fear and Anger are problems common to everyone irrespective of their race, creed or culture. Peace treaties signed by people filled with fear and anger is nothing but the creation of time bomb.
If we can get the world to talk about the elimination of fear and anger, even if nothing is done about it, there would be reduction in fear and anger on the planet which will get us closer to peace. To the proportion that will reduce fear and anger, we get closer to peace.
In identifying these fundamental causes and working towards practical solution, Etherean Mission has developed a program called Growing the Empowered Child (A formula for world peace). This program is presently available to children who come to the Church and to children in some selected schools and the results are amazing. Not only do they heal children from psychological wounds they may be growing up with, they also help children to do better academically. This is what we call practical proactive approach to world peace.
Inter-Religious and Inter-Political Harmony as a road to world peace.
The second theme, Inter-Religious and Inter-Political harmony as a road to world peace is to address what we describe as the ‘common human needs.’ It is the need to live in peace, love with a sense of achievement.
What are the common human needs and how is the church or the political institutions seeking to address them?
It is a shame to think that each political party is seeking to address common human needs and yet they war and battle against each other.
Political conflict is more rife in religious bodies. Religion has become territorial with its rulers seeking to protect their possessions and rule. For these reasons religion, which is supposed to bring people together, is doing just the opposite.
We need to address and focus on the aim and objectives of religion, and not on the cultural practices (Cultural Environment) within which the religion is practiced.
At the heart of every religion they want the same basic things for humanity, for their followers and congregants. So the question is, ‘in what way do we come together to ensure that those basic needs are provided.’ Instead of focusing on those basic needs religion focuses on its dogma and the dogma separates people because the dogmas is created within certain cultural environmental needs.
For example, a person who lives in the desert, will see the need to cover his or her head from the dust. Covering the head will become part of their way of worship or cultural way of living. This then becomes a dogma that for you to experience your human needs, you must cover your head and may be imposed on people who do not even live on desert areas.
The third theme, recreating the family is to address the real fundamental issues in families. Families are the unit blocks of society, community and the world at large. If we can heal the family then we heal the world.
In this program we address issues like Male female population disparity ratios and how these affect marriages, polygamy and monogamy, the dignity of women and especially and their influence on polygamy or monogamy.
For example we realize that if we have a world, where women outnumber men, there would always be a secret woman behind every marriage. It is about time the world woke up to it and address it because this secret woman means there would be no peace in the marriage which will result in children being raised with emotional and mental wounds and creating a confused world, a world of chaos.
Again, in this electronic age with the presence of computers, internet, television, radio and other print media, parent do not wholly own their children. Children receive desirable and undesirable information from the media. Parents need a new type of education to handle their wards.
If with the foundation of United Nations, its member states have been charged to include the eradication of fear and anger, the appreciation of cultural and religious differences and the promotion of family unity into their education curriculum, there would have been peace on the planet by now. If we start now, it will manifest in our lifetime.
Planetary Liberation Day, which falls on the third Saturday of every September, is the day we have set aside to raise the awareness on the need to grow peace as a culture and not as an event. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Recreating the Family for World Peace.’
We often think of peace as an event to happen to us, instead of a process to cultivate and grow. Signing peace treaties are futile if the people involved are angry and have hidden fears. A peace treaty is a time bomb when signed by angry people soaked in fear.
The culture of peace requires the following:
God intends a world Family. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1.
If peace must happen, it must start from the individual to the family. The family provides the environment for the cultivation of healthy individuals.
The family is the unit block of the society. Its breakdown is the breakdown of the society; its strength is the strength of the society. If we want lasting peace, we must address what can heal the fragmentation of the family.
The pristine African family system holds within it what would have been the model for world peace. Due to many factors, this system is ignored. Is it possible to identify what gems are left in this system to see how to use them as ingredients for world peace, if not to reclaim these altogether?
The unadulterated African family went beyond the nucleus and extended family. The family was constituted of the entire community. They lived with a culture that protected the integrity of the entire community. The error of one person was seen as the error of the entire community and the community rose to correct it. From the name of a person you could trace where he or she came from and a disgrace of him was a disgrace to the entire family or community. The community worked to protect its members. Childcare was the responsibility of the entire community.
People lived with a clear sense of responsibility for one another and for the community. Night times were opportunities for gathering and for the integration of the family through activities like story telling and dancing. There were no cousins, half brothers, half sisters or step fathers etc. Your father’s sister was considered your ‘father’ (siwaa). House helps and tenants were integrated into the family
Marriages were natural ingredients for consolidating family unity. They were not contracted just by the man and woman. Marriages brought four families together that is the maternal and paternal families of both parties entering into the marriage. Before marriage the families of both the man and the woman would send spies to investigate the family character of the ‘would be’ in-laws or the community they came from. The premium was on untainted character. They cherished honesty and truthfulness and the pooling together of resources.
They respected their ancestors and what they stood for. Your character is what makes you a family member.
In this culture, orphans were not orphaned and the family took responsibility for the honourable burial of the dead.
Ceremonies, rituals and festivals were revered institutions for fostering family unity. Rituals like ‘Dipo’ were a means of preserving the chastity of the youth until they reached maturity. These and many other cultural practices and festivals encouraged unity which is the key to world peace.
Unfortunately, we lost this
In many communities today, the Churches have taken over the role of the family. For example, many people outdoor and name their children in the church; festivals are considered evil and funeral services are run by the church. The role of Elders as arbitrators is lost to church priests. Family and cultural beliefs or values are regarded as evil. The old, who were formerly revered and whose wisdom was sought after are now in many cases regarded as witches and wizards. Our elders die without imparting to us their invaluable wisdom and knowledge of herbs etc. owing to our disinterest and scorn. The general thrust of contemporary religious persuasion in
Our ancestors used taboos to keep the community together. So strong was the adherence to these in-built control systems that if you were to drop your money you would return to the place you dropped it and find it. Modern religions have destroyed these systems and not replaced them with any other that would restore or maintain their ethical values.
Economic hardships have put stress on many. Many have to abandon their children in their own homes in pursuit of dear daily bread. Those who ‘have’ are still gripped in the glamour trap and as such continue to look for money. Stress causes parents to fight using insults and abusive language on each other resulting in loss of respect and broken homes.
Another major destroyer of our community is the use of vulgar language on the air waves. The music or movie sells if it is overtly or covertly about sex. The internet is plagued with pornography. If this is civilization, then we need to rethink.
By the ideal African standards, a child is not only the ones you gave birth to; but all who came into the orbit of your parenting. The primary need is the togetherness of the father and mother as resources for the family.
Who is a Father? He is not necessarily the sperm donor. There are sperm donors and there are fathers. A father is the one who protects the spiritual and material potentialities of members of the family. He identifies the capabilities of each family member and creates an environment for the free expression of these capabilities without injury to anyone. He makes his mind a resource for the family members to use as a library or as extension of their mind.
Who is a Mother? She is not just the donor of ovum. A mother is the one who identifies the potentialities of the members of the family and nurtures them into fruition. She chooses positive feelings and shows the family how to do the same. A shark must not bleed when hurt, otherwise, other sharks will devour it. Similarly, a hurt person must know how to carry his or her feelings so that it does not attract the animosity or estrangement of those in his or her environment.
It is when fathers and mothers discover their mental and emotional roles respectively that an ideal family is raised.
An important requirement for a successful business is that it must have a vision and mission statement. Similarly, the primary drive of a successful family is that it must have an identified family character that is honoured by all members of the family. The family character must embody the collective vision of its members.
Fortunately, we have not lost all the gems our forefathers upheld for family unity and world peace. We can Identify and uphold cultural values that unite families. We must encourage family reunions and visit to family home towns. Parents should inculcate family values in their wards.
There is the need for cultural education (of
I sincerely suggest the establishment of a National Culture Day. We have many Christian and Islamic holidays. To deny the Ghanaian the same is an insult to our dignity as a people.
The way to consolidate the family is for every family to have a Family Character. The creation of Family Character must be taught in schools at all levels. Teaching our youth how to raise an Ideal Family is a most urgent need. The family outlives our professions. We teach people great careers but there is no systematic teaching on marriage or raising a family. Everyone is expected to know automatically; it does not work that way. Marriage and family creation work when we work at it.
From Family Character, we may grow into the development of State Character. Who is a Ghanaian, for example, must not speak of political rights only. It must address characteristics that constitute the nature of a Ghanaian.
Churches should teach their members to focus on good and not evil because what you focus on is what manifests for you. Branding of elders as witches and wizards for any reason is unethical, and is against the very precepts of Christianity or Islam which we profess.
Technological civilization is a major cause for split in families. Technology is not evil in itself; it is the use we put it to. We can use technologies like the internet for creating and reuniting families. We can for example create family websites and Internet User Forums. An adage in Ga states that ‘families are not gotten but created.’ This implies that we can integrate others into our biological families.
Our musicians must create music that educates and also honours genuine achievements.
We all know what is right, but if we do not focus on what is right, then what is wrong will take over. We can recreate the family based on the principles of the pristine African Family values and this will guarantee the peace we crave for.
Together with all members of the family, identify what the family must be known for.
Have periodic meetings and let everyone show how/what he/she is doing to fulfil the family vision.