September 30th's Freshman Seminar lecture presented Dr. Gbadegesin with the topic of "Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility". Before he begins to delve into his topic though, he pays homage to important people and figures that guide our lives. Also, something that I appreciated was that he payed homage to us, the class of 2014. Dr. Gbadegesin then tells the class the story of Iwa, a tale from his childhood that teaches very valuable morals. To summarize, Iwa, a woman who represented existence and character, married Orunmila . She warned him numerous times that it was imperative that he not stress him out. However, he did and thus lost Iwa. Along with his wife, Orunmila began to lose luck and knew it was a direct consequence of his actions towards Iwa. He then sought out to find her, and when he did they continued they blissful life together. The most obvious thing one can learn from the story is to treat others with respect along with the value of appreciation. Dr. Gbadegesin, however, is more concentrated on the representations of the characters; who you are is important, according to him. After this concept has sunk in, the discussion then turns to the history of who we are as a people. As Dr. Carr has expressed to us, many principles of learning, philosophy and ethics came from ancient Egypt. The Goddess Ma'at is introduced, and her principles of moral righteousness are shown to mirror the Ten Commandments with which we are so familiar. All of the ideals of Ma'at, however, urge people to remake themselves. Dr. Gbadegesin then says that this is what he urges us to do at this most opportune time in our lives at the university with the most opportunities.
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