They call him Charlie. He seems to be quite popular around Kotoka International
Airport, Accra, Ghana. He is one of the several young men who are trying to eke out a
living by doing whatever comes along at the airport. They offer services ranging from
changing your money to other currencies to securing you a cab or even taking you to
unfamiliar destinations in town. When he approached me on arrival from Abidjan, I told
him I wouldn’t need any of his services because I was planning to connect a Virgin flight
to Lagos that night. He told me there was no way as the flight was fully booked. He
spoke with such an authority that could match that of the Airline manager. I decided to
try anyway.
“No matter what you gain in the process, it does not guarantee the peace of mind and joy that God will give those who live and operate by the truth.”
It turned out that I not only got a seat, but the plane was not filled up to one-third of its
capacity. When I took my seat on the plane, I was wondering why he lied to me. I
realized it must have been for the gain he would have made if I were to spend a night in
Accra. In my outbound journey, I had tipped him generously after he took me to an
agent. It was natural for him to look for a repeat treatment. I notice that when people
think they can have an advantage, they are tempted to lie. Everybody is concerned with
making a living, but the truth is most people are actually making a lie. When people lie
in the course of their transactions, they inappropriately call it business. A lie and a
business are not synonymous. Making a living by making a lie makes you a cheat. No
matter what you gain in the process, it does not guarantee the peace of mind and joy
that God will give those who live and operate by the truth.