Three major forces
An overview - intro to complexity - contrasting worlds - deity of Ota Mmiri
Hi - Nnamdi here!
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An overview - intro to complexity - contrasting worlds - deity of Ota Mmiri
As a result of the fundamental mismatch, we have seen the way we are shaped by where we come from, our past, and our personal and cultural shortcomings have serious implications for our adaptive abilities. That would lead to progress or regress.
Ideally, the newcomer should do an initial accounting before getting a visa. And proper adaptation would seem like an oscillation between being more flexible while not getting too carried away; retaining structure.
What is a society?
Human society is an interplay of three major forces namely the natural, the cultural and the man made. Three essential elements that form the character of the society. They are complex and layered. Whether we are aware of it or not, they converge on us. It is the struggle to come to terms with these forces that makes adaptation so challenging.
To recap from the hype cycle and fundamental posts, the errors should be the central concern of the newcomer. This requires specific knowledge of the place which tends not to be readily available or apparent to the newcomer.
Choosing and evolving are inherent characteristics of societies.
Aba's system complexity is different from Chicago, Des Moines, or Timbuktu's. To an outsider, this is not obvious. Using their own methods of selecting those who behave in certain ways, they are constantly evolving. Individual decisions merely add another random factor to the pot of randomness. A citizen is already subject to system risks, let alone navigating an unknown world without a map.
Moving from Aba to Chicago is not that simple, primarily because both places are highly variable, they differ in so many ways and to such a great extent. In the interaction between the Newcomer and new society, there will be implications for wellness. Therefore, there was an imbalance between myself and Chicago that, when combined in a certain way, could be fatal.
Today's multicultural and multilingual societies are characterized by varying degrees of differences, both between and within societies. Therefore, we should be aware of the selective requirements of the society as well as the changes over time.
A fourth force?
There is another dimension of a society to explore for a superstitious reader like me, that of spirits and deities. They can be referred to as spiritual, unseen, unknown, myths etc. I am a believer, which may shock family and friends.
When I was 10 years old, at my secondary school in Nekede, I learned about the fragility of life. A river called Ota Mmiri with a strong current flows through Nekede, and a deity rules over it. One faithful morning, a classmate, an excellent swimmer who had swum in Ota Mmiri countless times drowned. Because his parents were not well off, he was buried the same day to save on funeral costs.
Imagine seeing someone lively and happy in the morning and in the evening we were singing funeral hymns as he was put six feet under. He was not indigenous to Nekede, although he was born and raised there. The deity of Ota Mmiri is known to drown non-natives!