Ubuntu - An African Philosophy

An anthropologist proposed a game to some children of an African tribe.

He put a basket of fruits near a tree and told the kids that the first one to reach the fruit would win the whole lot.

When he eventually told them to run,

They all took each other's hands and started to run,

Together,

Towards a tree.

They then all sat together enjoying the fruit.

The man surprised at this asked them why they ran together instead of winning the fruit for themselves.

They said,

Ubuntu,

How can one of us be happy if all the others are sad?

Ubuntu,

This is an African philosophy on humans as a collective and is summed up as I am because we are.

Ubuntu to African tribes is the essence of being human.

When a person has this Ubuntu quality they are known for generosity because in this thinking if one suffers then everyone suffers and if one thrives and prospers then so does everyone.

Barack Obama says about this,

It is a recognition that we are all bound together in ways that can be invisible to the eye,

That there is a oneness to humanity,

That we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others and caring for those around us.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said,

We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals,

Separated from one another,

Whereas we are connected and what you do affects the whole world.

When you do well it spreads out,

It is for the whole of humanity.

According to science,

Single celled organisms were the first life forms on this planet.

Bacteria,

Algae and protozoans populated the world but around 750 million years ago these organisms got smart and got together with other single celled organisms and became communities.

In fact these communities grew and grew to the size of trillions which became us,

Human beings,

Made up of a community of 50 trillion cells.

The reason these cells came together was a matter of an additional survival advantage.

Less energy is used when living as a community and this cooperation and interaction within nature has a whole field study of its own.

Systems biology is a way of looking at the putting together and the integration within nature rather than that reductionist thinking or the looking at the one.

Nature shows that coming together,

Whether that be in the animal world,

Plant world or within humans,

Community means strength,

Safety,

Survival within reproduction and also social rewards.

So although this is hardwired into nature,

We do know intrinsically we need others to survive,

Yet here in the western world especially we have an individualistic way of thinking.

The focus is on us,

Our individual need to thrive and flourish to survive.

What about mine?

What about me?

Thich Nhat Hanh the Vietnamese Buddhist monk says there are no solitary beings.

The whole planet is one giant living breathing cell with all its working parts linked in symbiosis.

We do not exist independently,

We inter-are.

Think about your own thoughts on this.

What do you believe?

Are you more likely to think about yourself as an individual,

Me,

Mine or are you more in line with the Ubuntu philosophy?

If the other thrives then so do I,

If I suffer then so does everyone.

Marcus Aurelius said,

Meditate often on the interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe,

For in a sense all things are mutually woven together and therefore have an affinity for each other.

Albert Einstein said everything is energy and that's all there is to it.

So let's meditate on this.

I invite you to close your eyes if you wish.

Take attention to your breath for a moment.

Pay very close attention to your breath.

Coming in,

Going out.

Pay very close attention to your breath.

Inhaling,

Exhaling.

Pay very close attention to your breath.

In,

Out.

I want you to picture a huge domino line.

It has so many colours and the design is so intricate and this line fills a large room.

Imagine that you are the one who knocks over the first domino.

Watch the effect until it finishes.

See how that first gentle nudge affected the domino in the furthest corner of the room.

And now imagine standing in front of a beautiful,

Calm,

Peaceful lake.

The lake is so still.

You now throw a pebble into the lake.

Imagine what happens next.

Watch how far the ripples extend in that calm,

Still lake.

Imagine the cells within your own body.

50 trillion of them living together in a community.

Working together to make your body function as it does.

Imagine each cell being a tiny little human.

50 trillion of them living together in a community.

Working together.

In a moment we will consider how our own actions,

Decisions and choices might affect someone somewhere else in the world.

Thinking about the same domino or ripple effect.

Good and bad.

This might be your choices in the foods you eat and the foods you buy.

Where they came from.

Choosing locally produced foods or not.

It could be the clothes you buy.

Where the fabrics are made.

Shopping ethically and morally.

Or not.

On how you take care of the earth.

Saving water.

Recycling.

Reducing waste.

Or not.

Or it may be closer to home in your own neighbourhood.

The helping of someone in need.

Or the choice to ignore something that you see.

That you know you could make a difference in.

But you don't want the commitment.

The headache.

The cost.

Or even in your own family.

Loving or angry words spoken.

Love shared or withheld.

Resentments and grudges let go or kept.

What ripple effects do your choices have on future generations?

On our children?

On us?

On others?

Reflect on this for a while.

I'm now keeping in mind that interconnectedness.

The relation to everyone and everything on this planet.

Knowing that as Einstein said,

We are all energy and that's that.

Let's meditate for all.

For the one.

And so breathe in deeply.

The breath that we all ultimately share.

That one breath.

And repeat silently to yourself.

May we be well.

May we be happy.

May we be free from danger and harm.

May we live in peace.

See everyone in your family,

Your work,

Your local community.

Everyone known and unknown.

Imagine them being around you right now.

And repeat silently.

May we be well.

May we be happy.

May we be free from danger and harm.

May we live in peace.

Spread your attention a little wider now to your wider community,

Your districts,

Your country.

Imagine the people around you known and unknown.

And repeat silently.

May we be well.

May we be happy.

May we be free from danger and harm.

May we live in peace.

And now move your attention even wider to everyone in every place,

Every country,

Every person of every sex,

Colour,

Age,

Religion,

Wherever they are.

Knowing this person is the same as you,

The same energy,

The same breath.

And repeat.

May we be well.

May we be happy.

May we be free from danger and harm.

May we live in peace.

Meditate often on the interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe.

For in a sense all things are mutually woven together and therefore have an affinity for each other.

Thank you.