JORIND 10 (3), December, 2012. ISSN 1596 - 8308. www.transcampus.org./journals, www.ajol.info/journals/jorind 219 THE CONCEPT OF DESTINY AND ITS SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS AMONG THE ESANS Felix Ayemere Airoboman Department of Philosophy, University of Benin,Benin City E-mail: fe_bom2002@yahoo.com +234-807-316-9897 Abstract Belief in destiny permeates most cultures of the world. The central focus here is the Esan concept of destiny. The work undertakes a conceptual clarification of the concept ‘destiny’. It made a brief exposition of its belief in some other cultures of the world. It then focused principally on the Esan conception. It examined its spheres of influence and the principal sources from which destiny attend mankind. It held that in Esan destiny can affect individual, family or community. It also held that the action of an individual can affect the family or community, vice visa. Thereafter, it expressed the Esan belief that people can play active role in shaping their destiny. It argued that discrimination is inherent in the operation of destiny. It showed how belief in destiny permeates the social life of the people in their daily engagements. It also showed how belief in destiny is at variance with some elemental beliefs and practices among the Esan people and beyond. The work concluded that although a discussion of destiny among the Esan people is not completely bereft of inconsistencies, but when compared with some other conceptions elsewhere, the Esan account seems to be less riddled with contradictions. Keywords: Destiny, retribution, waiveable consequences, discrimination, incompatibility Introduction Before delving into examining the concept of destiny in Esan, it is proper to have a general conceptual clarification. The concept destiny is a metaphysical phenomenon. It pervades almost all cultures in Africa and beyond. It holds that whatever has happened to an individual, whatever is happening to him now, and whatever will become of him in future has been designed to happen that way. “A person’s destiny determines his or her success or failure, personality, luck or ill luck” (Jeffo and Roux 147). Although the concept destiny may not be synonymous with predetermination, predestination, and fate, it is sometimes best understood when treated hand in hand with these related concepts. R. O. Madu attempts to treat destiny as predestination and fate. For Madu, to be predestined is to be foreordained. This means that whatever events that is happening now or that will happen have already been designed. It may mean an absolute divine decree whereby God resolves and determines what He himself will bring to pass. Most events are fated to occur by some inexorable necessity. This “[f]ate curtails every person’s liberty to act or do as he pleases… There is therefore no shaking off any situation or even changing the course of any event once fate has ordained it” ( Madu 123). He quoted August Dorner as saying that “if any distinction is to be drawn between fate and destiny, it is simply that the latter is the former regarded as operative in particular cases” (Madu 123). According to K. W. Bolle, “the term fate denotes the idea that everything in human life, in society and the world itself takes place according to a set, immutable pattern”. (Bolle 290) At this point, it is necessary also to examine briefly the concepts of fatalism, determinism and karma as they may relate to the concept of destiny. Fatalism is the doctrine which holds that there is nothing the individual can do that can in any way affect the fate to which he is destined (Durant 399). Determinism holds that every event or every state of affairs is determined by certain factors, in the sense that given those factors, the event must occur or the state of affair must hold. Karma is the aggregate reaction to activities. It is an unwaiveable consequence that inevitably accompanies past actions of the individual. “The Hindu Concept of Destiny is