Ubuntu: A Deep Sense of Community

Ubuntu is a philosophy that comes from South Africa. The word is a Bantu word describing the feeling of allegiance to and relationships with other people. It has been translated into English as "I am what I am because of who we all are." Ubuntu is describing the ultimate community: one that exists because each member exists, and one that thrives when its members thrive. It has been compared to the proverb that says, "a single straw is easy to break, but a bundle is not easily broken."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, of South Africa describes Ubuntu as the following:

"A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed."

In 2008, he explained it further by calling it the "essence of being human." Ubuntu or "I am because we are" is a great way of thinking about life in a community. One should contemplate the weight of decisions they make not just for themselves but for the greater good.
While seemingly contradictory to Western individualism, Ubuntu actually gives greater importance and purpose to our actions; the things we do are not just for us, the life we are leading has purpose and is necessary for our community to function. The decisions are ours to make, but it is a matter of making them responsibly. I think of greatest importance to Ubuntu is a sense of belonging--both from belonging to the community and the community belonging to you. When people take ownership and pride themselves in something, they take care of it. The same goes for a community: if we value it and take pride in it, we can nurture it and grow it. Ubuntu is about having your neighbor's back and trusting your back to your neighbor. A sense of belonging can help individuals feel safe. Community living serves this dual purpose.
So make Ubuntu your new mantra and philosophy--live each day with purpose and direction, and reach out to people around you. You will be so encouraged by the results. If DC residents would live as an Ubuntu community, we could turn around our schools, clean up our rivers, and reduce crime and violence--problems stemming from misunderstanding and corruption, from people pulling apart from the community to achieve selfish goals, and from fear.
In a personal example, I'm currently working on a community garden project. I posted ads on various websites and got an amazing result. People wanted to donate materials, money, volunteer their time, hear about our mission, connect us with other groups they knew of, etc. It was amazing and overwhelming to see the response. That is community living: sharing resources, knowledge, and reaching out to people who are your neighbors, after all. Ubuntu. I am because we all are.

"Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity.
We think of ourselves far too frequently 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."  --Archbishop Desmond Tutu


--Megan