While the rest of the world has been improving technology, Ghana

The words of Maya Angelou, poet of the soul and witness to the struggles of her people, resound with the strength of a timeless truth: “While the rest of the world has been improving technology, Ghana has been improving the quality of man's humanity to man.” In this single breath, she contrasts the pursuit of machines and progress with the deeper pursuit of compassion and humanity. It is a reminder that though the world marvels at its inventions, true greatness lies not in steel or silicon, but in the ways we treat one another.

The meaning begins with the recognition that technology, while powerful, is not the highest measure of civilization. The nations of the earth have pursued inventions with fervor, racing to conquer distance, time, and even the heavens. Yet what use is a faster machine if the human heart remains hard? Angelou points to Ghana, a land with a deep and painful history of colonization and enslavement, but also a land that embraced renewal and sought to nurture human dignity above all else. She suggests that while others built empires of machines, Ghana was striving to build an empire of the heart.

The origin of her insight lies in her own life. In the early 1960s, Angelou lived in Ghana, during the flowering years after independence. She witnessed firsthand a nation struggling to heal from centuries of oppression while striving to affirm its identity and humanity. For her, Ghana represented a beacon, a land where the worth of men and women was measured not by their wealth or inventions, but by their kindness, their community, and their ability to honor the humanity of others. From this lived experience, her words were born.

History mirrors this contrast vividly. Consider Mohandas Gandhi, who in India turned away from industrial might and sought instead to improve the soul of his people through nonviolence and truth. Or recall Nelson Mandela, who, after decades of imprisonment, chose forgiveness and reconciliation over revenge, improving the quality of humanity rather than pursuing domination. Such leaders remind us that nations and people are remembered not for their machines, but for their capacity to elevate the human spirit.

Angelou’s words also carry a warning. Too often societies become drunk on their inventions, believing that the conquest of nature is the same as the conquest of the soul. But history shows otherwise: nations that neglected humanity for the sake of power eventually crumbled. The greatest civilizations are those that balance material progress with compassion, ensuring that as their machines grow more powerful, their hearts grow more tender.

The lesson for us is profound: true progress is not only measured by what we create with our hands, but by what we cultivate in our hearts. A society that values humanity, that treats its weakest with dignity, that cherishes community and kindness, will endure long after machines have rusted. Angelou reminds us that even a nation without the towering industries of others can stand as a moral giant if it cultivates love and justice.

Practical action flows from this teaching. As individuals, we must not allow the lure of technology to blind us to our duty to others. Use technology wisely, but never let it replace compassion. Invest time in kindness, in listening, in building bonds of humanity with those around you. For just as Ghana sought to improve humanity in its time of rebirth, so too can we improve the world not only through inventions, but through the daily acts of patience, generosity, and love.

Thus, let Maya Angelou’s words be carried like a banner for generations: while the world builds machines, let us also build humanity. For machines may dazzle the eyes, but humanity nourishes the soul. And it is the soul, not the machine, that carries us forward into eternity.