DESTINY - THE MYTH OF PURPOSEFUL EXISTENCE

Today i shall be talking about the idea of human destiny. This is sometimes regarded as fatalism (from the word 'fate'). In the general sense of it, it is regarded as 'purpose'. However, this is an interesting topic to explore as a philosopher and i will appreciate it if you can read this to the end to learn one  or two things.

I shall be using Yoruba, an ethnic group in Nigeria as an example.

Destiny is defined as the power believed to control events, which people simply  call fate. Destiny is about the future, the spiritual will of a person. It is  usually affected by time, date of birth and the environment. Source

When the question of destiny is raised, it raises another fundamental question that concerns freedom/freewill and determinism. I will briefly look at what was said about destiny in Christianity.

The Bible teaches that Man was created with the ability to make moral choices and that he is responsible for those choices. The Fall of Man was not a predetermined event in which Adam and Eve were hapless victims. On the contrary, Adam and Eve had the ability to choose obedience or disobedience which they 'know' they would be held accountable for (Genesis 3).

“He who sows wickedness reaps trouble” (Proverbs 22:8a). “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23). “Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you” (Romans 13:3).

Often, when the Bible speaks of destiny, it’s in reference to a destiny people have brought upon themselves: “A man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself” (Proverbs 6:32). “Each person was judged according to what he had done” (Revelation 20:13). 

James 1:13-14 says, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” Source

The above suggest that the idea of destiny is not a predetermined one but one caused by the individual. To reject or deny the above is to say we were created to fulfill a destiny and while doing so, we would still be judged for that which we have no power to influence. As a person, i think the idea is lame and should be discourage. 

This is because if we accept that our actions are determined, it means the idea of heaven and hell seem unfair since we are not the architect of our own doings. 

This is because, if God created us to fulfill certain purpose or destiny, it would be unjust to say an all-merciful God will in turn punish His creatures for doing that which He created them to do. It would also mean we are puppet or experiment in His hands. This for me, is a negation of the attributes of a God i 'know'.

YORUBA CONCEPT OF DESTINY

Destiny in Yoruba could mean Ori or Ayanmo. Basically they are what we call mythology. There are many myths surrounding the idea of destiny or fate in the Yoruba philosophy.

According to some scholars, a person in Yoruba thought is a made up of three important elements: ara (body), emi (life giving element) and or (Spiritual head, which is thought to be responsible for human destiny). In the Yoruba concept of person, ara (body) refers to all the tangible elements that make a person both externally and internally such as the brain, intestine, heart etc. and not just the body frame which houses other constituents of a person.

Emi (the life giving entity), the Yoruba believe, is an immaterial element that provides the ‘animating force’ or energy without which a person cannot be said to be living at all, let alone of being conscious. Ori is the element responsible for a person’s personality and represents human destiny. Ori, an immaterial entity, otherwise called ‘inner-head’ is intractably connected with human destiny. It is responsible for the actuality and worth of man in the material world. For the Yoruba, ori is believed to be not only the bearer of destiny but also to be the essence of human personality which rules, control and guides the life and activities of the person. Given this consideration, ori is what the Yoruba call ipin. As an ipin (i.e the individual’s lot or portion), the Yoruba believe that every individual has the moral responsibility to protect and be in good terms with his ori, in order for one’s destiny to come into easy fruition.  (The Yoruba concept is an excerpt from the work of O.A BALOGUN )

Human destiny is the mysterious power believed to control human events. Destiny or predestination is the believe that whatever happens or that will happen in the future has been preordained and happened according to an earlier master plan. It is the belief that every person has his biography written before coming to the world which consequently implies that anything one does is not something done out of free will but something done in fulfillment of preordained history.

Another Yoruba myth has it that man chooses his destiny (Ayanmo) while coming into the world. Man kneels down to choose his lot (Akunleyan) before the presence of God and Orunmila (the oracle divinity), and God sanctions it. 

This idea suggest that there is an organised place where man has been living and he then decided to come to the world. To be granted such 'leave', he knelt down before God (Olodumare), picked his destiny and then come to the world to fulfill it.

This idea can only survive in the realm which it belong and that is 'myth'. If we look at it critically, we could ask, why would i choose a bad destiny? While some people do good in life, some do badly. Is it possible to pick a 'destiny' that will make one poor? 

Away from the Yoruba concept to a broader one, is it possible to say what i am facing right now is as a result of my destiny? Can we say some people are destined to be rich or poor? If that is granted, can we at the same time be blamed, punished or condemned for that which we have no power against?

This idea is one which i think we need to do away from. Just as a philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre said, nothing is luring me from behind to act, i am a free being. Human beings possess freedom of choice. It is this main factor that determines how we are being judged. Our ability to act, decide and make judgement is responsible for what we get. 

It is also true that we cannot totally do it alone. So we need to pray on certain decisions. This does not however suggest that the decision is conditioned.

In conclusion, we are free beings that make decisions. We act on these decisions and this is responsible for the judgement we receive either from God or as a result or consequence of our future existence.

Thanks to pixabay for the image

Thanks for reading! 

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