Yesterday former President Jerry John Rawlings, otherwise known as Papa J, went home to his Maker, after three days of national mourning.
The elaborate mourning for Rawlings depicted the fact that a hero, a legend, a great one had fallen.
It would be recalled that when the news of the death of Rawlings broke on November 12, last year, most Ghanaians did not believe it. Some thought it was a hoax.
Then the whole nation became quiet and sombre; a great soul had departed. A line from a poem, a dirge for that matter, says “when great souls die, the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile.
Truly, with the exception of his avowed foes, the air around the people of Ghana became sterile, particularly for his loved ones, most prominently his wife and children.
We all hate death but it is inevitable. In fact when one dies, the loved ones go through grief much more than others because their world changes.
While we at the Ghanaian Times believes the world of Rawlings’ loved ones has changed and sympathise with them, we have for them a word of consolation from a book by an American writer, Carol Staudache that, “And in every real sense, our world is changed the moment a loved one dies because each person we love makes up a precious and vital piece of our world. At such a challenging time, we need to be patient with chaos we are now enduring both inside us and around.”
The Ghanaian Times is not consoling particularly the family to make them forget their loss. They say “time heals but time never can make us forget our departed loved ones. We only have to accept the loss as natural and see how we can live with it.
“Life is war”, and if this is anything to go by, then Rawlings has seen the end of his war.
Once he was a Christian, we can join Max Lucado, an American pastor, to say that Rawlings’ death was necessary for him to inherit the new life he is to enjoy in Christ Jesus.
While he is gone and we left behind reflect on his life, we should ponder over ours too and ask questions about how we would be judged following our death.
We can talk about the good, the bad and the ugly about Rawlings but the whole world knows his achievements career-wise, in politics and in private life.
If nothing at all, most people would remember him for his love for Ghana and love for humanity. We can only be described as hypocrites if we discount his contributions to development and progress of humanity.
The Ghanaian Times believes that in spite of all his weaknesses, Rawlings did not just join the numbers on this earth, but played his unique role of serving God and country.
Who knows what would have become of him if he had tarried a little while?
Nelson Mandela once said “Death is inevitable.When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and country, he can rest in peace.
And while J.J Rawlings joins his Maker, we should extol his virtues not because he had no faults, but because only virtues build exemplary life.
Papa J, our prayer is that the good Lord would give His angels charge to meet and carry you to a place of bliss.
Papa J, may the Lord grant you the grace to find favour in His presence. Adieu. Fare thee well.
