EYE-REDISM: The Movement of Pure Tenacity.........An Essential Element of Success

I have observed that I am part of a new conscious movement of mostly young people; an ultramodern counter-culture right here in Africa that is rejecting the status-quo of poverty and subservience and is claiming a new heritage of wealth and success for themselves no matter the cost involved - This is "EYE-REDISM". In Pidgin English "ma Eye Red" simply means 'I am extremely determined'. This is a movement where simply, "Wena Eye Red" - we are extremely determined to succeed no matter what! Personally, I live, breath, believe and practice Eye-Redism to a large extent; and I am beginning to see similar "Eye-Red Tins" all around me. To be honest there is a kind of risqué, devil-may-care element to being Eye-Red in the Ghanaian sense of the phrase - on the face of it Eye-Redism even has several negative connotations: aggression, materialism, greed and self-centeredness. This is because the Eye-Redist believes that the end fully justifies the means and will consequently do all it takes to achieve the required end. However, the way I see it, being Eye-Red is an essential element of every approach to success because at the core of this philosophy is Dogged Determination; the refusal to capitulate to obvious disadvantages and the will to use whatever means necessary to rise above prevailing circumstances and succeed. I do not sanction Eye-Redism as the only way to succeed, but inculcating some aspect of this attitude into your psyche is essential to succeeding in your ambitions; i.e. if you have ANY - it can be harnessed positively as the essential fuel behind your personal drive and ambition.

From University Graduates to 'Trog Pushers'; breakthrough Hip-Life artistes like Sarkodie to 'Sakawa' Boys; 'Burghers' to 'Wild Guys' with 'Locally Acquired Foreign Accents'; Legit Young Business Men to Juvenile Drug Mules; struggling 'Kayaye' to murderous Armed Robbers; political SRC presidents to apathetic Weed Smokers; Decent 'Chriffe' girls to Immoral 'Shodies' on the prowl for 'Sugar Daddies', there is a sweeping current of urgency and determination in our quest to thrive in 21st Century Ghana and beyond. The youthful masses are converging around the battlecry of "Ma Eye Red oh" and fighting against a system that does not provide adequate jobs and opportunities for self-actualization. However not everybody is Eye-Red, perhaps because not everybody can be. Some people intrinsically have little or no ambition because they are truly content with their lot or they do not know any better. But most others are just plain lazy and do not work to constantly improve themselves and their situation even though they desire better lives - to me they are prosaic and never achieve anything of note. They are born, they live and they die unremarkable lives; their dreams end up a shattered shambles of regret and guilt. That is my greatest fear for my generation; my fear that most of us will end up as a bunch mediocre individuals in the future that are struggling to eke out a living for ourselves and our families because the world is rapidly becoming a more difficult and expensive place to just survive; much less enjoy a luxurious existence. I feel that as a whole the immediate past generation [of Ghanaians] was rather unremarkable; but we can escape their fate and rise up to or even surpass the standard of Nkrumah's liberating generation that gained independence through determination in the face of insurmountable odds - Nkrumah and his ilk would be the epitome of Eye-Redism had they been living in these times.

Being Eye-Red echoes a concept that I came across in my research into martial pursuits - that of 'Deadly Persistence Attack' - the idea that if you persist in attacking a particular force without relenting they will eventually capitulate. That is how I approach problems and obstacles; without hesitation, procrastination or fear, I just delve in and take the bull by the horn, attacking persistently with a single-mindedness that cannot admit defeat and will do the necessary work and make the required sacrifices - and my work speaks for itself. That said I was not always like this; I was just a normal kid who was messing up his life until I realized I had to grow up and face up to my responsibilities in the light of modern realities. I have dreams - BIG DREAMS - and I realized back then that if I was to have any hope of achieving them I needed to stop mucking about and focus on the work to be done as early as possible. I needed to embrace pure tenacity and an unwillingness to compromise on anything less than the ultimate goal; success and legitimate wealth. It is necessary to note that the precepts of Eye-Redism can be applied quite successfully to criminality but to me it is not worth it. Why take this needless risk when I can wait just a bit longer and work just a bit harder for much greater rewards that I can enjoy freely with no labels, harassment or consequences instead of copping out and taking the easier route of crime? I know I am not the only one with this mindset; I am just one cog in the wheel of a Massive Movement. I know people all over who are even more Eye-Red than me; youths like Olleur on his upcoming Debut Album; M.Diawuo in CA of UnitedIcons; my Peer Group of Business Partners; The Brothers at M.I.G; and the esteemed members of BMIC's Executive Committee who are amongst the most Eye-Red people I've ever had the honour of rubbing shoulders with. As for me and most of the people I deal with, "WENA EYE RED FOKEN!": Just how red are yours?