It is very easy to live in the past. The times change and yet you can continue operating with the logic of a time that is past. An excellent case of living in the past is that of Gaddafi. He was one of the few African strongmen remaining. These are African leaders who could best be described as dictators. Their days ended with the cold war but a few still remained and Gaddafi paid the ultimate price for not realizing that the days of the strongman dictator were over. But Gaddafi is not the only one who was living in the past. 1. The man who does not realize that women are empowered There was a time when women had to depend solely on their men. Those were the days when people could say that even if a woman buys a gun she has to put it in a man's room. The implication was that a woman could not fire a gun and could not build a house of her own. Those days are over. There are women who are better with the gun than the average man; and there are women who have put up their own mansions. So, if you are a man and you do not realize that the days when a man could give orders to his wife and expect absolute compliance are over, then you and Gaddafi were brothers. You are living in the past. 2. Politicians who make statements they don't expect to become national In the past, politicians could get very tribal on a platform knowing that what they say in a town will stay in that town. Those were the days when there was no media freedom and GBC was the only radio and TV station; and Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times the only daily newspapers. In those days, a politician could stand on a platform in one region and insult other tribes and none of those statements would be reported beyond the campaign grounds. Those were the days when a politician reported to have said the wrong thing could swear he never said that and there would be no proof. These days the media is free and recording gadgets are everywhere and very easy to conceal. So whatever a politician says even in the remotest part of Ghana could get international coverage via the internet. And if the politician denies making the statement, someone will come out with a recording of his voice. 3. Nations that fail to pay fair salaries to its professionals. In the past, a professional trained in Ghana had to stay in Ghana. These days, a professional trained in Ghana can apply for a job anywhere in the world, attend an interview without travelling outside Ghana and receive his appointment letter before applying for visa. It is in the nation's interest to put the right value on its human resource if it is to avoid brain drain. 4. Media houses that take their viewers and listeners and readers for granted In the past a newspaper could print anything and get away with it; a radio or TV station could put out any content and still command attention. Those were the days when even lotto papers had a huge market. It is not so anymore. These days readers, listeners and viewers have choices and they have no hesitation in exercising them. The remote control makes it so easy to change channels. 5. Pastors who are not meeting the spiritual needs of their members There was a time when we stayed in the church into which we were born. So if your parents were Methodists, you remained Methodist all your life. In those days, a pastor could take his members for granted and still have them turn up for service week after week. Not so anymore. These days, if you are not meeting the spiritual needs of your members, your services are not lively and the preaching unexciting, you will lose members; they will simply move to another church. 6. Parents who are too strict There was a time when parents could be as strict as they wanted with their children. Children did not have a say no matter how old they were. Parents could give orders without having to make sense or explain themselves. Any parent who is still operating like this is courting disaster with his children. 7. Students who do not aspire to do post-graduate course Most students just want to get to the university, get a degree and jump into the job market. They are living in the past. The days when a first degree was enough are gone. There was a time when middle school leaving certificate was a very high qualification, Then it was GCE '0' levels, Then it came to GEC 'A' levels. And then it was a first degree, Well, the days of the first degree are also over. These are the days of the global village where job openings are advertised on the internet and applications come from all over the world, And in this global village, a master's degree is fast becoming the minimum qualification for good paying jobs.