This is the first publication of many conversations I have had with young people that I find exciting and involved in winning; Entrepreneurial and forward thinking individuals that may be major achievers in the near future. Charles has worked on Wall Street since graduating from Yale in 2005 in the financial industry. He’s an avid seeker of business opportunities and is currently partnered in some promising start-up companies. It is this enthusiasm about his business and actually carrying out these aspirations that I find intriguing. I consider him a thinker, someone worth having any discussion with. The other aspect is; I’m bored so till the next phase of my journey through life begins, why not chronicle something …. anything and leave it in the blogosphere just to say I did it?!
Also, document the thoughts of persons I believe will be influential figures in society in my lifetime.
My memory is flailing about the exact time of this occurrence. What I do know is; Charles made a promise that seemed undo-able in my arrogant mind at the time (2nd Semester of High School). In competition, it’s always daunting when you encounter a personality that galvanizes such admiration. I am by no means suggesting that we ‘competed’ academically; rather his ability to master the courses and remain much the 'cool dude' was inspiring. These are some of the moments that I cherish about the spaced and sleepy experience of my high school tenure. I've known Charles since [1997], when we were class mates in secondary school. I've always wanted to know what drives his creativity and approach to living. Even back then in secondary school, I saw him as different, a visionary of sorts, with a hearty laughter. Behind this childlike playfulness, I noted his brilliance, not just in the narrow confines of academic work, but in the way he related to his peers.
The promise was: Kick my ass by the third semester of our 1st year at high school (Senior Secondary School), Mfantsipim to be exact, in the one subject of study I considered myself slightly superior (Core English). He did that and much more; going on to deduce his own formulas in Physics class and inter-discussions with tutors during lectures that made me a life-time fan.
Griot: You've always seemed quite focused since your teens, how do you manage that?
Charles Yawson: Ritalin.
Griot: Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Charles Yawson: Didn't think they did. In fact, I've never thought about such pilots at length. Flight protocol is my guess. In case one gets gunned down, you might want to look presentable to your captors
Griot: What intrigues you most about society? Any philosophies you prescribe to?
Charles Yawson: The banality and emptiness of it all. I don't prescribe to any philosophy. I live based on assumptions. But in general, I try to live better each day. Better for me, on most days, is better in the Better Living Through Design kind of way, surrounding oneself with beauty that this world has to offer. Beauty in design, in life. But that's just one way. It's neither deep nor shallow. It just is. Sometimes, even after the entire struggle to live better, think better, improve and so forth, I feel it's all empty. There's a lacking, something missing. Not anything that organized religion can fulfill, although organized religion might help to mask that emptiness. So sometimes I just ignore the feeling and watch people walk by, watch myself go through the days, the weeks just checking the boxes and acting normal. Did I say I don't prescribe to any philosophy?
Griot: Interesting that you mention organized Religion which segues perfectly into: What’s your belief regarding the source of life?
Charles Yawson: Some creative force out there or in here, with a sense of humor. That's beyond my imagination.
Griot: Being of Ghanaian descent, world at your disposal and the limitless opportunities that your sacrifices and current situation present; do you ever mull the idea of moving back Ghana to help effect change?
Charles Yawson: I'm not of Ghanaian descent. I am Ghanaian. Ghana is definitely on my mind. No concrete plans as yet. Just living one day at a time. It's not a lack of ambition per se; it's just that I can only live one day at a time.
Griot: What is your position on Africa/Ghana's potential to emerge as a competing economy and ridding itself of exploitation and obscurity. What in your opinion should be the top 3 priorities of the African continent, leaders/people, to achieve the feat?
Charles Yawson: There's little doubt that there's potential in Africa/Ghana but if the story ends at merely having potential, then nothing happens. I'm yet to form views about what will drive real change or bring about great progress. From my shallow knowledge of history, progress comes about as a result of a confluence of a number of factors, many of which can be random or unintended. So perhaps, Government should somehow encourage this kind of random exploration of the ideas. Well, maybe not random, but measured in a way that increases the likelihood of achieving good results. As you can see, that's just a roundabout way of saying nothing (and doing nothing).
Griot: The division of ideologies or varying political views play a huge role in the progress of a people. I find Africa/Ghana’s politics an undefined science or methodology that isn’t rooted in solutions for the people and progress of society, rather an opportunity for glitz and glamour. Are you Liberal or Conservative? All people should have a right to choose how to live their lives; in my observation society is moving towards a liberalist extreme where morals and boundaries are determined on the go. Do you see a solution to this conjecture?
Charles Yawson: I don't have any political views that fall into any of these categories, which I guess makes me more liberal than conservative. But those are labels that people who understand or believe in these things put on themselves. My dominant thoughts are not political. There's a lot of cowardice these days. People should just go out and do good things, things that benefit another or the world in some way. All the political philosophies are just a passive way of not doing anything about something that needs to get done. My response to this question is longer and probably vague. It has the same quality that political thoughts have in my mind.
Griot: That amazes me also because most times the issues being debated by parliaments or congresses or people with authority to make decisions that will bring solutions, in fact, stall and worsen the problems. In my dealings with people, I find that their opinions are derived from what they’ve been taught by an external source as opposed to self-derived; what is the most fascinating thing you've discovered about another human?
Charles Yawson: Our capacity to love or be fooled by love.
Griot: I liked the fooled bit the most because it’s a lot of smokes and mirrors; sounding jolted is not my goal here! LOL .What do you consider your most prominent achievement outside of personal human relationships....
Charles Yawson: Staying alive and preserving my capacity to dream, day dreaming mainly.
Griot: Are these the dreams that translate to your writings and paintings? Your website www.charlesyawson.com displays your paintings, what is the essence of it and what is the motivation?
Charles Yawson: I never did think about it as having an essence. But I guess you could boil it down to just a list of artistic ramblings. Some of the pieces I’ve done out of the love of the visual elements in the pieces, others out of boredom. No grand themes underlying my work. I could make up a theme though. Motivation? An attempt to convince myself that I still have an eye for beauty? Or art, or whatever it is described as these days.
Griot: Do you ever feel misunderstood or are there any claims to who you are that you consider misconceptions?
Charles Yawson: I'm a pretty minor character in this world. Beyond familial misunderstanding, I don't think my life warrants any such misunderstanding.
Griot: How were you received at Yale by other students, foreign and American? Tell me about the experience there and also what you feel you impacted or got impacted on you the most.
Charles Yawson: I had a generally positive experience, punctuated with a few not-so-positive experiences. But that's part of the package. An undeniably sweet experience would eventually be detested anyway.
Griot: What was the last restaurant you ate at? Are you selective and conscious or religious about what you eat? Do you make an effort to eat and stay healthy?
Charles Yawson: I have no dietary restrictions that I can remember. I do make an effort to stay healthy. Not drinking beer just before bed.
Griot: Do you have a secret get-away spot in NY that you would recommend for an explosive date experience and what is the best part about the city in your opinion?
Charles Yawson: It really depends on what one is looking for, I think. There are lots of spaces and experiences designed to elicit a kind of response from customers. There's really no secret to it.
Griot: Do you enjoy travelling? As your work takes you around the globe, what experiences or advancements in human development and economics would be most beneficial to Ghana and Africa at large?
Charles Yawson: I enjoy traveling, not for work though. There are solutions to providing clean water or in-home plumbing that have been around for decades. For a variety of reasons (or excuses) these solutions haven't been implemented in Ghana, at least not on any significant scale. We still have frequent power outages in Ghana. It's not uncommon for the taps to run dry for days at a time. I think the most impact on living conditions will come with development of this basic infrastructure.
Griot: For the random kid reading, especially younger Africans, what is your deepest truth to be shared about reaching goals and accomplishing feats?
Charles Yawson: Deep! I have no clue. Follow your heart or some such clichéd advice? I'm bad at giving directions. People should find their own truths about the world. There are no easy answers.
Griot: Trust or Love?
Charles Yawson: A little bit of both.
Griot: Golf or Swimming?
Charles Yawson: I find golf boring and the prospect of drowning unappealing.
Griot: Rich and secluded or Decent Income and Influential?
Charles Yawson: Rich and Influential
Griot: Did you set any goals to be achieved before 30 and has it been accomplished? Tell me about it.
Charles Yawson: I had dreams of conquering the world, but it's clear that I confused the subject and the object. No, I did not set any goals; which is a convenient way of not admitting that one is far away from what one can be.
This conversation took place over a few emails and phone calls back and forth and there are many interesting laughs that didn’t make it to publishing. The summation of a conversation with a cynical yet humble persona who was graceful to understate his potential and reminding me also that self-centeredness is the stuff of pompous rappers. My guess is a few smiles achieved on the faces of those familiar with the gentleman and for those unfamiliar; a spark of thoughts probing dialogue and foray into what the human condition presents. The art pieces were ganked from Charles' website,www.charlesyawson.com
Thanks for reading and look out for our next conversation to be published soon.
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