Iwa pele (gentle conduct)
Spotlight on the eight attributes of the Omoluabi
This is post #10.
We acknowledge the Almighty OLODUMARE. The one who is ÒYO ÌWÀ (the Creator of Existence) and salute every man, woman and child.
We salute the home-born and the stranger - Ìbà ọ!
In our last post, we examined the fourth of the eight attributes of an Omoluabi - Otito (truth).
Over the next while, we will spotlight these other attributes. They are as follows:
Oro siso (sound speech),
Iteriba (respect),
Inu rere (good mind toward others),
Otito (truth),
Iwa pele (gentle conduct),
Akinkanju (bravery),
Ise sise (diligence) and
Opolopipe (intelligence).
Bi ko n' iwa rere: If s(h)e has no good character Omo langidi ni i: He or she is no more than a wooden doll.
Iwa pele (gentle conduct) ranks as a top attribute; it encompasses several other attributes which we have not listed in the eight main headline attributes of the Omoluabi.
The following are some of the sub-set attributes (there are several others) annexed under Iwa Pele:
Itelorun (Contentment)
Anu (Kindness)
Isokan (Oneness; team player)
Odo’do (Sincerity; honesty; Justice)
Suuru (Patience)
An Omoluabi is a person who embodies all these noble qualities under the Iwa Pele construct.
We cannot talk of Iwa rere (good character) without first talking about iwa pele (gentle conduct). Indeed, for us to say someone is of good character, such a person must be a person of gentle conduct.
Iwa rere I'eso eniyan: Good character is the beauty of a human.
In odu Irete Otura, Ifa (the voice of Olodumare) warn parents (mothers especially) to exhibit great character in raising their children because, behaviour is akin to a good apparell; ultimately, behavior is learned from one’s parents.
The symbol of good character in Ifa corpus -Ogbe Alara- is a woman.
As Omoluabis, gentle conduct is ultimately what makes us human; not the properties, and material wealth we possess.
Iwa ni gbogbo nkan: Character is the bedrock of everything
An Omoluabi strives to uphold gentle conduct wherever he/she is because character is everything.
A badly behaved person has lost the essence of humanity; these are the people the Yoruba refer to as eniyan-keniyan or eniyan lasan (a worthless caricature).
A person who continuously exhibit bad behaviour is called an Omo Ale or Omokomo (a worthless fellow); the opposite of Omoluabi.
Omoluabi toju iwa rę (Omoluabi keep your good character).
May it be well with us today and next - Àṣẹ Wàá!