(pondering…) There are so many facets to the man Chike Ukaegbu. So many of them that even I, the closest being that embodies him, could not tell you about him in totality. So whenever I am asked to describe him, a confused state of ‘which part do I reveal?’ overwhelms me. I know what he’s not, and I can give you a laundry list of those i.e. Not white; Not 6ft tall; Not the first born child nor grandchild; Not the first son nor anything first that pertains to sonship; Not confused about his beliefs and principles; greatly abhors STEREOTYPES; and so on.
But in describing himself, as many would, he tries to tread carefully to avoid being assigned a label that he couldn’t wear. Well, that was before he realized that people will never stop tagging you with their labels based on their perceptions and opinions of you. Therefore, ‘We’ write, irrespective of what will be said:
I have been several things, whether presently or previously. However, the list that I have under the ‘About ME’ section are MY CONSTANTS. I will always remain some. I will always be passionate about others. I will always believe and/or despise the rest.
Other definitions and expressed perceptions are the opinions of others, which ring mightily insignificant to me. I’d hear them, but I won’t be affected by them.
Being IGBO, we greatly believe in the meaning of names. Thus, we endeavor to give meaningful names to our children because we believe that one’s name(s) speak volumes into their future, and in turn affects their destiny.
So in reality, my surname ‘UKAEGBU’, which is a shortened form of the sentence ‘UKA AGHAGHI EGBU M’, means ‘WORDS CAN’T KILL ME’ or in my translation ‘I AM NOT AFFECTED BY YOUR WORDS’. So while I appreciate constructive criticisms and opinions, I am not obliged to heed any of it.
On the other hand, my first name CHIKE means ‘STRONG GOD’. However, my full first name is really ‘OKECHIKESIRIM’, MEANING ‘THE PORTION GOD GAVE TO ME’ (Powerful right?). Middle name ‘OLUEBUBECHUKWU’ = ‘GOD’s WONDERFUL WORK’. All of these have depth and powerful meanings.
So back to this list; I intentionally started my list with the phrase, ‘Jack of many trades’. Not ‘ALL’, but ‘MANY’ trades. I love to see myself as that, which I think the list below quantifies.
But more important than that, and in fact, the greatest of all the qualities, is the one associated with my FAITH. My mother calls me ‘Man of Faith’; a title I love, and strive to LIVE by, but I describe Chike as a controversial SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN for several reasons.
1. I am most likely the most questioning Christian you’d encounter because I do not just blindly believe in what ‘many Christians and their leaders’ have to say. I have encountered, experienced, and is constantly growing my relationship with my ‘CHI’ (GOD), and thus heavily rely on His Word for guidance.
2. I question and reason analytically and have learned through my journey that ALL Christians are CREATED equal. Hence, I respect everyone but DO NOT REVERE ANY MAN, regardless of acquired or self proclaimed title(s).
3. I intentionally DO NOT indulge Atheists, Agnostics nor Christians alike for the sake of religious arguments. (Waste of my time!).
4. I don’t believe in giving Tithes and Offerings for the sake of Tax Returns. I don’t claim them, and I don’t name those church envelopes either. (GOD ain’t no Charity cause!)
5. GOD works in MYSTERIOUS WAYSSSSSS!!! (which means that HE could use anything and any One. Therefore I strive not to judge people by the outward – clothes, hair, looks, past, etc.)
The list goes on and on.
Then I am proudly IGBO, Nigerian and African. Every other thing falls into place, and if you are so curious to find out more about any of the adjectives, adverbs, noun or whatever else is in that list, then feel free to leave a comment and I’d be sure to reply.
Others include:
Youth Entrepreneurship Specialist
Co-Founder of Re:LIFE Inc, Re:ACT Studios, YoungLIFE and EarnLIFE Entrepreneurs Programs, etc
Creator of [Black:Higher]Black Spring series; Reword Blog, etc
Bouquet of multifaceted ideas (I brood over them till they hatch… Yes like the chicken!)
Heterogeneous container of expressions
Sweet plantain lover and addict, especially when fried
Creativist (dint see that coming!)
Biomedical Engineer
Poet
Writer
Lover of ALL people, but PASSIONATE about ALL things BLACK
Gemini
Activist
Motivational Speaker
Public Policy Enthusiast
A firm believer in effective child-discipline (spare the rod and spoil the child, but use the rod sparingly with LOVE)
Actor
Variegated in personality
Innovative
Stubborn and Strong-willed
Grounded/well rooted in everything I believe in
And the list goes on… blah blah blah.
I want to hear from you: What do you think? What questions do you have? What opinions have you got? Do you have something to add to the list? Or maybe take out?
So delve into my ‘never boring’ world if you wish to find out about this mystery called ME because through this journey, I am definitely bound to LEARN something new from YOU.
Welcome to MY World.
chikeukaegbu 