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Ubuntu (Southern Africa): Ubuntu is a Nguni Bantu term meaning "humanity." If I could give it my definition, I’d call it Interconnected Harmony or Interconnected Humanity.
Defining Ubuntu for expansion and comparison.
If you find one definition of Ubuntu you’ll likely find many looser and more expansive translations that seem to come from generational ancestral wisdom passed down by storytelling traditions. I love ALL the definitions, but for the sake of going deeper and drawing comparisons with other Ancestral Wisdom, we have to define Ubuntu.
I thought this definition by the African Journal of Social Work was just right. The journal defined Ubuntu as:
A collection of values and practices that people of Africa or of African origin view as making people authentic human beings. While the nuances of these values and practices vary across different ethnic groups, they all point to one thing – an authentic individual human being is part of a larger and more significant relational, communal, societal, environmental and spiritual world.
First Principles of Ubuntu
When I’m trying to learn a subject, I do my best to understand the First Principles or the framework that a system is built on. Here is my humble attempt.
Please understand the difficulty of “boiling down” a concept that is referenced and translated from 600 different Bantu languages. I believe that from all the sources and definitions the common framework always returns to…
Interconnectedness
Collectivism
Humanity Toward Others
Empathy & Solidarity
Restorative Justice
Morality
Quotes of Connectedness
Take a moment to ponder the following quotes that reflect the idea that we are all connected and that one's success and well-being are dependent on the success and well-being of others. They range from African proverbs to quotes in modernity but say the same thing.
I am because we are.
A person is a person through other persons.
“My humanity is inextricably bound up in yours” - Archbishop Desmond Tutu
“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” - Martin Luther King Jr
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” - Albert Einstein
“When I demonize you, I inexorably demonize myself” - Archbishop Desmond Tutu
“When will it be enough to find there’s no them, there’s only us?” - Thrice
“We either learn together as brother and sister, or will die separately as fools.” - MLK Jr
Now here’s my call to reflection for you… Look into the real world, your world. I want you to spot examples of where Ubuntu is present (even by a different name). I also challenge you to consider what other sources of Ancestral Wisdom are similar to Ubuntu.
Report your findings in the comments!
I have been noticing Ubuntu here in Amsterdam in the way everyone seamlessly gives way to others for safety whether walking, biking, driving or on some public transportation. I’ve also noticed how interested people are in where we are from and getting to know us.
From a message with community member Brian, “Thanks for sharing your post. There seems to be similarities between Ubuntu and Native American philosophies and practices that most humans are connected to — and dependent upon — nature. St. Francis of Assisi had a similar philosophy, calling animals and trees brothers and sisters.”