The theme of our first lecture shall be ‘My Name.’
1. The significance of names
Almost everything has a name, from human beings, to animals and even inanimate objects have names. Continents, regions, countries, towns and cities, streets, byways and highways, institutions, their halls, our dormitories, even our arenas and games – all have names. Our solar and planetary systems have names. Imagine a situation where there are no names: imagine how chaotic and confusing our world would be without names?
How are Names Derived?
Most of the times names are given, just as life itself is given. But names are also inherited, adopted, created or made. Can you give examples of each of these categories of names? As humans, the first gift we received when were born were our names. If we are to be grateful for something, it is our given names because they are the fist gifts we received, from our parents of course. Do you always show gratitude for your given names? Have you ever explore the narratives or meta narratives of your given names?
Many of the times our names live with us throughout our lives. They sometimes outlive us after we have been long dead. That given name goes with us everywhere through thick and thin, success or failures.
The Aspects or Attributes of our Names:
For the purpose of this short lecture, we shall take a cursory look at three aspects of our names: the ontology, anthropology and sociology of our names.
The ontology of Names:
A closer look at names may reveal philosophies and semantics, not necessarily epistemology or empirical knowledge. Not epistemology or even empirical knowledge. For example why is a snake called a snake and not a snail? And a sloth not called an hare?
The anthropology of names:
This could be explained as the universal human roles that names play. Most of our names in our cultures play human roles which are sometimes assigned to or attributed to mysteries and circumstances. Have you realised that as a Yoruba or Igbo person, your name is most of the time a full sentence? An example is Oluwasegun (the Lord gives victory or conquers. Aramide (my buddy has come).
The Sociology of Name:
There is no doubt that the social world around us plays a critical roles in shaping our names. How we derive our social names will be important to our study as peacemakers. Most of the times our given and inherited names are socially befitting. In some circumstances our derived names confers honors. However we often adopt or adapt names to distinguish us societies. The craving to make a name may end up being the reason why an honorable person becomes dishonorable and dishonorable person becomes a honorable person. Didn’t the Scripture say “Either make a tree good and his fruit will be good. Or make a tree corrupt and his fruit will be corrupt. A tree is known by his fruit.” The ‘make’ in the statement is how we are affected by society (our social or ontological being).
The Influence of Environment: There is a common parlance. The environment maketh the man, or in another way a man can hardly rise above his environment.
A person given to violence tendencies might have choosen to take or adopt names associated to his or her intended diabolical tendencies, because he wants to make a name thus inadvertently moving from social radicalism to violence extremism. Becoming a cult member on campus might just be the result of a desire to make a name for oneself.
The Polarity of Making a Name:
I have observed a universal ontological condition which separate human beings into two categories: the children of God and the children of the Devil. There is no middle course. You are either the one or the other.
But what gives me joy unspeakable is that Peacemakers are called the children of God. Matthew 5:9.
This is the name we have adopted and chosen to called on Campus. When we fully adopt this name it will accelerate our positive roles and impact on campus. When we adopt this name it will serve as a brake that will eventually halt the speed at which we can get involved in unwholesome negative activism on campus. Please post your comments.
The lecture we shall have this month will be titled “Calling Ourselves New Names.” It shall be an adaptation of two lectures, the first given on August 4-7, 2007 during the inauguration of the KPLC University of Calabar, and the second given in Lagos on September 25, 2005. Please be on the lookout. Rev. Dr. Titus K. Oyeyemi, JP, FP/CEO.