SEMIOTIC INTERPRETATION AND THE IGWEBUIKE IDENTITY: AN ANTIDOTE FOR INTERPERSONAL MISUNDERSTANDING

Abstract

That which is validly true about our human existence and all that pertains to it is the reality of communication. It is communication that breeds human interrelationships, a rapport, assuring us that we are not isolated in the world, but have access to other human persons like us. The communication that is spoken of here cannot be limited to just the verbal type, if we do that, we would be registering a stereotype. Communication also pertains to the non-verbal, the non-visible (the supposedly telepathic means of communication), etc. Yet, what is to be maintained is that whether it is verbal or non-verbal, visible or non-visible, communication is mediated through the use of signs. Language is what can be defined as an oral/worded/lettered, yet mental (This is because before ever a word is uttered, it is first constructed in the mind, whether it be consciously or unconsciously. More to that, people think or construct their line of thought in tandem with the language they speak.) representation of signs. This goes to indicate that, even though there is the external world, the human person, in his own subjective worldview (which is internal), is able to make contact with the external world, by means of sign inter-rapport. That is to say that he understands the signs that are external to him and is able to relate to the external world also by means of signs. The external world that is being spoken of here also pertains to the other human person that is not “I”, but the “YOU”. The individual mediates the external world, by means of signs received and perceived (The focus of this piece is between the “I” and the “YOU.”). There is no means of really understanding what lies in the depths of the mind of the other person, the “You”. The “I” can only decipher according to those signs that have been let out by the “You”. It should be noted that misunderstandings arise when the signs given by the “I” is not properly deciphered by the “You”. Misunderstandings have been the bane of the human existence, causing strife, suspicion, conflicts, divisions, etc. The Igwebuike ideology proffers what its name signifies, namely “togetherness”, arising on the wings of a better understanding amongst persons. Yet, this would not be the case when there is a failure to rightly understand and decode those signs that are received, with the reciprocal giving of the right signs as well. Semiosis, which considers the meaning of signs, can also prove to be very vital in the ensuring of the “togetherness” which the Igwebuike stands for. Igwebuike itself is a sign, one that communicates to us and that needs to be semiotically interpreted, to make sense of what it proffers, namely “ensuring a communal existence of the humanity.”Yet, it seems as if the issue of misunderstanding will always remain with the human personThis is because there is a near impossibility of decoding what is the in the mind of the other. That is to say that the mental state of the other person remains his exclusive hub, unless such a one allows another in, via the unleashing of signs. The other side of the coin is the right way in which such mental state should be conveyed to the other. This piece will be dedicated to the rightful appreciation of the sign Igwebuike communicates.