Yoruba people of the archaic days strongly believed in predestination. They rush to the shrine to confirm a newborn’s predestination/Akose-jaye.
That apart, before they embark on any significant task, they would consult a priest to ensure it conforms with their Kadara.
Yoruba people strongly believe each person's Kadara is unique just as DNA is, they say 'ori ti taiyelolu yan koni ti kehinde' 'ise teni kan se to dolola, elomi se je gbese' again there is 'eni o gba kadara, a gba kodoro'.
Having said that, some modern Yorubas ignorantly subvert the importance of Kadara, they maintain it isn’t real or that it's superstitious but they ask their pastors and imams for prayers on important tasks of life such as jobs, investments, relationships etc. Asking here may be to pray over the tasks so as to become suitable or successful and they surmise whatever feedback they get but subconsciously , it is to ask if the mission aligns with their destinies, that's its metaphysics.
The Yoruba will say 'Akunle yan ni adaye ba' meaning we had consciously implored Olodumare of our chosen destinies prior to our arrival on Aye. That quote often goes fully thus 'Akunle yan ladaye ba, ade ayetan oju nkan wa ' the concluding part states upon our arrival, we often want to expedite the good part of our kadara, we put the cart before the horse, we forget that some events serve as precedents for future comfort. We often become impatient of what was agreed to by ourselves and Olodumare.
Kadara comes in two folds, the good and the bad. The good is often referred to as Kadara and the bad as Ipin (sometimes Ayanmo). Ipin is defined as our own fair share of bad occurence at Ile-aye as no one lives without having their own time of turbulence.
The Yoruba religion believes predestination isn’t changeable (Ayanmo o gbo ogun) other than to exploit and make the most of it as there is always light at the end of the tunnel. It is also believed that enemies can delay Kadara through the use of a sorcerer however, ultimately, Kadara must prevail (Ota o le pa Kadara da, won kan le fowo ago sehin). It is therefore imperative for one to guard one's Kadara spiritually. Other religions in the likes of Christianity and Islam hold this superficial belief that prayers can change ill-fated destiny into good.
Atheists believe a man should face the world as it is i.e. his skills, ability, society, laws and other fundamental factors (some within his control and some beyond) attached to a man are his supposed destiny which comes as a result of natural circumstance.
Ps: Kadara, Ayanmo and Ipin can be used interchangably.
By: Bola Olalekan
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