Monrovia, Liberia – United Methodist University graduates are urged to have a more positive outlook in order to create a better society by President Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
Speaking on Tuesday, January 30, 2023, at the 19th United Methodist University commencement convocation, he stated that as behavior change is mostly dependent on one’s perspective, it is critical that people start having talks that would result in a good mindset shift right away.
“Changes to society that benefit everyone should be prioritized over destructive individualism that breeds greed and corruption. Unfortunately, Liberians are bringing each other down and missing the opportunity to upgrade themselves.”
“We must accept that although years of conflict and bloodshed have had an impact on society, we have also had many years of peace, stability, and opportunity to change society in ways that should enable us to reject actions that eat away the very fabric of society.”
According to President Boakai, there is a growing concern about the deterioration in moral standards and poor public behavior. Unless this issue is addressed, future generations will start to accept norms that are detrimental to society.
“Every day, a multitude of ways in which we as a society think, speak, and utilize media, including the radio, to rip one another apart out of selfishness and greed show how little regard and love we have for one another. The fact that few people uphold morals and ethics these days is depressing. As a result of young people viewing these vices as the new normal, they are spreading throughout society.”
According to the Liberian Leader, the people need to start challenging these established customs that have permeated the nation’s culture and are negatively influencing behavior. Amb. Boakai stated that in order for Liberians to overcome the ongoing challenges of underdevelopment in the country, they need to embrace a new outlook, respect others, and view service through a more compassionate lens as opposed to one that is driven by individualism and greed, which fuels the corruption epidemic that is so pervasive in the country.
President Boakai informed the graduates that the first step toward change is adopting a new perspective that creates equality for all people and lays the groundwork for a society that values compassion and equality.
The President, however, advises graduates to utilize their knowledge to question established beliefs and paradigms that run against the values of love, compassion, integrity, honesty, and peaceful cooperation.
“Your degrees should not just be about the knowledge you have acquired, but how well you are going to use it to impact the conversation and bring about collective change.”
