Ubuntu

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Ubuntu (oo-bun-too) is an African philosophy that captures our common humanity and shared human experiences. It highlights our interconnectedness and dependencies on one another. This idea is translated in many ways:

  • I am because you are.

  • We are bound together beyond what we can see.

  • I grow because you grow.

  • One finger cannot pick up a grain. 

  • A person is a person through other people. 

  • I am me because of you. 

At its most basic, ubuntu refers to human kindness - the idea of cooperating with fellow humans to aid our survival. The village thrives if we teach, protect, care, feed, heal, and help one another. 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, "You might have much of the world's riches, and you might hold a portion of authority, but if you have no ubuntu, do not amount to much...Ubuntu is what it means to be truly human, to know that you are bound up with others in the bundle of life." 

Ubuntu is the spirit of helping one another survive our common human experience. 

As we all continue to worry about the pandemic, inequality, politics, and a general sense of unrest, we have an opportunity to come together in powerful ways. Let the challenge below be one that opens your heart and mind. Allow yourself to feel a deeper connection with all of humanity. 

Ubuntu Challenge

Consider these often marginalized groups of people: (this list provided by CharterforCompassion.org, feel free to add groups that may not be listed)

  • Immigrants, Refugees, and Migrants

  • Women and Girls

  • Victims of Human Trafficking

  • Mentally Ill

  • Children and Youth

  • People of Differing Sexual Orientation (LGBT community)

  • People of Differing Religions

  • Developmentally Delayed, Physically Disabled, or Mentally Ill People

  • Incarcerated People (and their Families)

  • People Released from Incarceration

  • People of Low Socioeconomic Status

  • Unemployed People

  • People of a Particular Ethnicity/Country of Origin

  • People with a Differing Political Orientation

Select a group of people you would like to learn more about. Is there a group you relate to most? Is there a group that you've always been intrigued with their struggle? Notice if one of these groups makes you feel uncomfortable, maybe that is a group to learn more about. 

Do some internet research on current issues facing this group of people. Explore other ways you could learn more about them from trusted sources. Read the stories of individual people as much as possible. Seek to understand what it is like to be them. 

In your social circles, share what you are learning. You may find that people in your circles want to learn more too. Partner to learn more and consider becoming involved with agencies that support this group of people. 

Over time, see if you begin to develop a passion for better understanding this group of people. Notice if that passion leads to wanting to educate others or contributing your time, resources, and love to this group of people.

I discovered the concept of ubuntu in seminary while studying African indigenous religions. I loved this philosophy and wisdom that it offers. I felt that the more I thought about ubuntu, the more it shaped me into a compassionate way of being. Ubuntu seemed to me like what Jesus was teaching too. Compassion for all.

Where can ubuntu become more than a word, but the action in our lives? What happens if we apply ubuntu thinking throughout our day? Maybe it means we release a competitive spirit, a scarcity mentality, or our tendency of self-centeredness. Maybe it means we don't need to win, get ahead, or do more than someone else. Maybe it means we stop needing to be right and focus instead on being kind.

if we each look for a way we can help another to thrive today, we contribute to the change we long to see in the world. 

Sending you love and peace,