Folks, so I ask you, who do you respect? For the kind of people who made it to my admiration list, when I was young and prolly dumb, are different from those making it on today. My thought on who deserves respect in society has made a complete 360 degrees turn. When I was young, I respected the rich people regardless of how they filled their pockets (whether they sold coca-cola or cochaine); but now, I have realized that any fool can make money if he is willing to break the rules and regulations of engagement. A crook pharmacy owner could import sub-quality medicine from China to mercilessly kill hundreds of thousands of people in his motherland just to explode his/her profit margins; a once patriotic politician, could revert to the same corrupt practices of past politicians (whom, by the way, he vehemently criticized and threatened to sue), and join the pack to loot the country he once loved dearly. Now, with a fully developed medulla oblongata, I recognize contrarily to conventional wisdom, that the means is as important as the end. Now my heart and respect goes to the people trying to positively change the world even when the odds are severely against them. Like the Africans, who after realizing the fatal effects of counterfeit medicine in his country, came up with a solution that is easily implementable even in a country that lanterns and cutlasses are still very popular tools. Like some Africans, who after attending Ivy league schools in United States, deserted the temptation of a high salary jobs, and returned home just to have a shot at changing the lives of his countrymen whom he dearly loves. It’s rather unfortunate that very little is said and known about Politicians ennobled by Honesty and Loyalty for country that they would die hungry than steal a penny from their motherland(my heart adoration pours out to the late ex finance minister Kwadwo Baah Wiredu); nevertheless, we spend all our strengths and efforts groveling to Politicians with fat pockets ‘filthied’ by stolen national monies. We rarely sing the praises of people who have died for us but we sycophantically extol those who, literally, kill our lives for us. Folks, I want to know about your respect list- for a man’s respect list tells volumes about his ideals and values. I challenge all of us to be careful of who we respect because the values and behavior we condone are those that will prevail in our society. Good Evening!