Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu has made an African philosophical concept world-famous: Ubuntu. And no, it's not about the Linux operating system.
The word Ubuntu is an abbreviation from the Xhosa language and means UMUNTU NGUMUNTU NGABANTU in full. Before anyone looks for a dictionary, the saying translates as "A person is a person because of and through others." It describes compassion, understanding, humanity and also the interest of maintaining a community with justice and mutual care.
The children and the fruit basket
There is a story circulating on the internet that helps to better understand this philosophy: a European explorer offered hungry children from an African tribe a deal. He placed a basket of ripe, sweet fruit under a distant tree. "Whoever gets there first gets all the fruit," he explained to the little ones. But instead of running off as the explorer had expected, they took each other by the hand and ran to the tree together. There they sat down and ate the fruit together. The European asked why they had run together. One person could easily have eaten their fill with all the fruit. "Ubuntu - How can one of us be happy when everyone else is sad?" was their answer.
This report, originally shared by philosopher Lia Diskin in 2006, cannot be verified, but it explains Ubuntu well. It is very common to imagine that you were born as a unique individual. You only come together in groups when you need something from others, the individual comes first.
What is Ubuntu all about?
The teaching of Ubuntu is different. Here the priorities are reversed. The community comes first. Our individual personality only develops out of the group. We are all inseparable from each other. As the story with the children illustrates. How can one person be happy when others are sad or even suffering?
"A person only becomes a person through other people. Nobody comes into this world fully developed and ready. We wouldn't know how to think, walk, talk or behave as a person if we didn't learn it from other people. We need other people to become human." Desmond Tutu in 2004
Ubuntu has its roots on the African continent, but the philosophy is also practiced elsewhere. In 1976, the spirit of Ubuntu could be experienced at the Special Olympics in Spokane, Washington. At least to some extent. There, one of the participants stumbled in the 100 meter race. Some of his competitors then stopped and crossed the finish line with him.
In summary, it can be said that Ubuntu is more than just charity. It is a deep connection to other people. The individual is part of the community and therefore the priority, even as an individual, is the common good. So there is no competition, only cooperation. If everyone is doing well, everyone is doing well.
Addendum: The Ubuntu operating system from Linux actually takes its name from this philosophy.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Desmond-Tutu
https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/28706/04chapter4.pdf?sequence=5
https://www.mimikama.org/ubuntu-ich-bin-weil-wir-sind/
https://www.willbuckingham.com/ubuntu/
https://www.boell-nrw.de/de/2021/04/19/ubuntu-einfache-sprache
Photo credits:
Add a Comment