“Hoes cannot cultivate a farm by themselves. We human beings are the force behind them. Axes cannot attempt anything successfully. We human beings are the force that makes them work. Cutlasses cannot by themselves clear a forest. We human beings are their aids. A yam put into a mortar cannot turn itself into pounded yam, but for we human beings who aid it. But what forces are working as aids to humanity other than Olórun and human beings themselves?”
The ancient Odù quoted above seems to address a current human delinquency that I have observed not only in the world at large, but also within the Afrikan communities and Ifá spiritual circles in particular. It is quite unsettling to see a beautiful way of life such as Ifá not carried out to its fullest by those that profess it so strongly verbally. Here in the United States, we seem to like to give lip service to great teachings and ancient morals, yet we do not make them a constant part of our everyday actions.
The sacred Odù Ifá, Òkànràn Osá is a very important Odù. It took me some time to contemplate within as to why this particular Odù was calling to me. Just the other day I was walking to the store and as usual I was observing the people and my general surroundings. I noticed a woman complaining to the gas station attendant that the latch that allows the gas to pump without her holding the pump the whole time was missing, and that it was a GREAT inconvenience for her to pump her gas. The man literally had to come from behind the counter, lock the door to the store, and pump this woman’s gas!
The Odù mentions several tools that were vital to the cultivation and advancement of our Ancient West Afrikan Ancestors’ civilization. The Odù mentions hoes, axes, and cutlasses as al having their purpose, but only within the context of the HUMAN factor that made them. This is very vital to our understanding and approach to a very ancient Afrikan way of life, and our integration of it into our modern technological society.
It is true in this day that the technological revolution is at an all time height. The Internet has made information accessible to us at amounts that are sometimes overwhelming. We have riding lawnmowers that cut down on both time and labor in the grooming of our yards. Computers are said to be doing over 30% of the work that humans were doing just 10 years ago (and the numbers are rising). It seems as if the West does not know how to balance technological advancement with the human factor, and we within the Afrikan spiritual communities have fallen victim to this.
Yes, this is truly the age of Ògún (technological advancements) and Oyá (the winds of change both bringing the advancement and in the wake of the advancement). Yet, the more we “advance” is the more we spiritually and socially digress. It is a sacrifice of our human-ness for a return of temporary intellectual gratitude, and an indulgence of a pregnant ego. When is the last time any one of us has taken the time to send a physical letter to someone instead of an impersonal email? How do we visit our family, friends, temple members, and extended family? Who in your temple has taken the time to call someone that you have seen absent for a while to see if everything is all right? Do you ever sometimes walk those 3 blocks or so to the store instead of driving?
What would we do without these advances in technology that have more than made our lives admittedly easier, but have also contributed to our laziness and the obesity factor that plagues the Afrikan communities in the United States? The Odù Ifá, Òkànràn Osá poses the question “But what forces are working as aids to humanity other than Olórun (God) and human beings themselves?” This is ultimately to say that when all the material trappings and inventions are stripped of their man-made pseudo-glorifications all that is left is the Creator and Man . Man must reach within his/her inner self to accept the Creator and practice her human-ness.
It is time that we admit that Western culture has a grip on us that should not be a reality amongst those that practice Afrikan traditions. This Odù and my interpretation thereof is a call to return to our human-ness. Leave the computer and walk over to a neighbor or friend, and say something nice from the heart. Call (or even email if you do not have their number) the person or persons you have not seen in a while at your temple. There may be something you can help them with. Find a place in your day to give something of yourself. We owe it to Olódùmarè and our Ancestors to bring the spirit of human-ness back to this tradition. Anything less would not be Afrikan.
Ase, Ase, Ase O Àwòtunde Yáò Sovi Fáşęyίn
