|
|
I recently heard the word Ubuntu. If you are not familiar with this term, it means “I am, because we are.”
The story I read was about a group of children playing outside. A person had a beautiful basket of fruit that they placed under a tree across the meadow. They told the children that the first to race to the tree could have the basket of fruit. Most in our society would begin running with no regard for each other, but the children held hands and reached the basket simultaneously. “I am because we are.” As a whole, we are more powerful than the one. The Ubuntu concept could be applied to our everyday life, and I would argue, should be taught to our children. It is not just what you can get for yourself. What can you accomplish as a group?
I was watching videos of kids searching for Easter Eggs. It was a crazy mass hunt to get “the most” for oneself that ended in crying and arguing over who had more eggs in their basket. This made me sad. What if the eggs were gathered together and shared rather than ending with a fistfight on the floor?
When I became a mom, I was told by a wise friend that if I had cooperative games rather than competitive games, our home would have less conflict. I liked to encourage creative ideas. Building sets and puzzles. We actually had an Old Maid game that you “won” if you got the “Grandma.” Don’t get me wrong. I know this sounds as if “everyone gets a trophy” thinking. I truly don’t think I believe that. I loved it when my kids were in sports; the team was more important than the individual. Teaching our kids to be a good teammate is “Ubuntu.” I am because we are.
Helping and supporting each other is not a weakness. The strongest societies are built on caring for each other. The strongest families support each other through thick and thin. And the strongest people are the kindest. Those that bend to hear a child speak. Those that gather to build a community. Those that see a void, no matter how large, and work to find a way to fill it. Take this word and make it your own. Ubuntu. Peace and hugs, Sandy
“Far too often people think of themselves as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.” ~ Desmond Tutu
Loading Comments