Celebrology ( the scientific study of honour) in its wake of global discovery on celebration, in its postulation, unveiling the celebration theory, broadening its base, spreading its enightenment globally, presents the “dilemmatic celebration”.
Dilemmatic celebration simply means the celebration which has been carefully planned but met with accidental occurence in which a person has to make a very difficult choice on the celebration whether to proceed or give it a stop.
Dilemmatic celebration presents itself in celebration behaviourism as regards the conduct or proper way to behave in any given celebration.
The issue in the City of David, a branch of The Redeemed Christian Church of God over the “special superlative birthday” of Dr Siju Iluyomade, wife of the Presiding Pastor Idowu Iluyomade which was held at Eko Hotel and Suites during the mourning period of the biggest financier of the church, Dr Herbert Wigwe, the CEO of Access Bank, who lost his life in a helicopter crash together with his wife and son, is a case of dilemmatic celebration.
The question is, why would the Illuyomade hold such celebration at the period of mourning of Wigwe? Can’t the celebration be postponed or given a stop looking at the calamity on ground? Another question surfaces, won’t it be rather too inconvenient on the part of the Iluyomades to have suspended or organise a low key celebration despite all expenses paid and, informing all invited guests about this through the media or any other viable means? Is it good to celebrate a birthday party during the mourning period? Besides, could it be wrong giving thanks to God almighty in celebrating the survival of life at this time?
At this point, the epochal generationalists, that is, the celebration thinkers who are forever saddled with the timing of celebration against all societal odds and circumstances may step in to condemn the Iluyomade’s celebration. To them, it is totally unacceptable, unfit and wrong without any unjustifiable moral ground. Perhaps what runs in their imaginative eye is what is called “reflective sobriety”. Reflective sobriety simply means the process of celebrating by being moody in the midst of unpleasant circumstances yet in which one hides his tempting state of happiness. But there is a clause here. We can as well ask that what is the epochal generationalist insinuating on the Iluyomades? Has he forgotten that the Iluyomades’ celebration, although a close ground celebration, which did not take place on the monoperson stage, rather on the polyperson stage where many celebratees ( guests) were in attendance? How on earth could reflective sobriety be addressed without constituting a personal injury to oneself especially at milestone celebrations? Can the excitement that greets such celebration be replaced with sobriety? The epochal generationalist may not readily be won in his penetrating sense of intellect. He would not shift his ground. Still in his arguement, he proceeds by stating the implication of ” castbygone” which negligence of reflective sobriety brings to the celebrater should in case he proceeds with such celebration. Castbygone is a celebration phenomenon that arises in which all forms of hatred, rejection and negative actions are being directed towards the celebrater (the person who is celebrating) in his failure to indulge in reflective sobriety.
The Iluyomades’ outer rejection from participating in Wigwe’s funeral and their subsequent withdrawal from the church is what is called castbygone.
Now the beneficial generationalists are on course to equally defend the Iluyomades. Not that they are driven by the immoral injunction of things, but they are more concerned about the satisfactory state of happiness of the celebrater and his disposition to existential appreciation. To them “hidination” is a thing of worry. Hidination simply means the process of keeping one’s state of happiness at one’s celebration to one’s detriment. Beneficial generationalists equally believe that timing is inappropriate, it is the value such celebration adds to its celebrater within the enclave of optimal satisfaction that is important. Here, they reject all forms of postponement and antiterritoriality, perhaps the gross evils.
Postponementism is the principle that celebration could be shifted to another day either for the purpose of scaling through the moment of challenge or simply for better preparation. Two underlying issues are being addressed here: obstruction and betterment. Whatever poses constraint and all forms of negativity to stopping a given celebration is obstruction. This is on one side of postponementism. On the other side is betterment, which underlines the shifting of celebration to achieve a more prosperous result in the future.
Antiterritoriality opposes the exorbitant place or venue of celebration, perhaps for its extravagant or highmindedness where due to its statutory locus, only dignitaries are invited. It is the extravagant spending that is also the issue here. The choice of Eko Hotel and Suites which worths millions of naira where specially invited guests were to attend for the special superlative birthday at this mourning time of Wigwe’s death might pose issue of antiterritoriality. Perhaps these are forms of rationality on which both the epochal generationalists and beneficial generationalists appear to be at daggers drawn.
The implicative waves of castbygone as rightly stated by the epochal generationalists on Dr Siju Iluyomade’s 60th birthday, no doubt have generated so much tension in the church as RCCG needs to save its head and keep the House of God from falling, hence the suspension ( although this is being refuted or given a diplomatic and substle expression to avoid mockery from lesser minds) and subsequent transfer from the City of David in Victoria Island to the Throne of Grace in Ebute Metta, which is the national heaquarters of The Redeemed Christian Church of God.
By virtue of celebrological analysis, rooted in celebration, is the inclination of human dignity, no celebration is worthy of its sort if it does not show respect for human dignity. This reflects in character and the way we hold other people in high esteem. There is no celebration without human dignity. No law, no religion or status in whatever form supercedes human dignity. However, for the Iluyomades, they could balance their celebrological rationality of things on the celebration of 60th birthday of Dr Siju Iluyomade in the epochal generationalism of reflectve sobriety, considering the odds and accidental occurence of the moment, considering their position in the church where they were supposed to take part in the mourning of the Wigwes, a father, mother and son that lost their lives in a fatal chopper crash. The sincerity of the Iluyomades and their uncompromising stand was needed at this time due to the sensitivity of the position being occupied, perhaps what they needed at the time was the critical insight of the epochal generationalist.
However, as defensive as the beneficial generationalists might sound, “hidination” which they oppose might be calling here, and they should hide their face from contending against it as element of postponementism. If the obstructive challenge of the moment warrants one to shift ground and postpone the event till another day for better celebration, it is quite good and dignifying even as the Bible says in
Galatians 6:2,
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ
