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Today’s Blog Post
"Ubuntu. How could any one of us be happy if all the others were sad?"
Not long ago someone posted the photo above on their Facebook posting. Very cute to say the least. It had this caption with it…
"An anthropologist studying the habits and customs of an African tribe found himself surrounded by children most days. So he decided to play a little game with them. He managed to get candy from the nearest town and put it all in a decorated basket. at the foot of a tree.
Then he called the children and suggested they play the game. When the anthropologist said "now", the children had to run to the tree and the first one to get there could have all the candy to him/herself.
So the children all lined up waiting for the signal. When the anthropologist said "now", all of the children took each other by the hand ran together towards the tree. They all arrived at the same time divided up the candy, sat down and began to happily munch away.
The anthropologist went over to them and asked why they had all run together when any one of them could have had the candy all to themselves.
The children responded: "Ubuntu. How could any one of us be happy if all the others were sad?"
Ubuntu is a philosophy of African tribes that can be summed up as "I am what I am because of who we all are."
Bishop Desmond Tutu gave this explanation in 2008 :
"One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. 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."
— with Photo Rights: Susan Fassburg of ConnectingDotz.com.
End quote
“Ubuntu” has me thinking. It is a philosophy of Africa that makes some statements that challenge all of us. Yet in Africa and its many parts there is such a huge conflict with what this is saying and what is happening.
War Lords and horrible men that brutally treat their fellow African people with such contempt have obviously not been taught this amazing concept.
When the children responded with "Ubuntu. How could any one of us be happy if all the others were sad?" how would the War Lords respond? Likely by saying, “You will be happy if I am happy… now make me happy!”
I wonder where he would have learned that from?
In the western world it is pretty much that way – wouldn’t you think? Have you not seen some of that attitude near you? I certainly have.
In 14 years of living in my city I have had witnessed some strange attitudes. I have seen people that have called themselves Christian and act anything but Christian. They say they care but they could never care… really!
Oh now that sounds as if I don’t care… or cannot care. I do care and care deeply.
The problem comes when certain individuals demand more than you can give. In Ubuntu there are no demands only encouragement offered to the whole of the people around you.
But when someone criticizes and tears down others for whatever reason… there cannot be Ubuntu or Christianity… especially in the ways that both are the same.
Is not criticizing and tearing down a form of terrorism? This is especially true when it is done with the intent to destroy someone else. It is the mean and intentionally hated part of someone showing its very best.
I often go to McDonalds during the week. If I time it right I can be there when a man that hates my guts comes in. Yesterday I didn’t time it that way on purpose… and it was very funny… I stood right behind him in the small line of him and me… waiting for our coffee to be served.
The very odd part is that I have no idea of why he hates me.
Oh wait… I do remember. He was a friend of another old guy that spread the lie about me teaching from the Satanic Bible. (for some of you that don’t know me personally… I was a Minister in a Church when that lie started to flow fast and furious about 13 years and 6 months ago).
That rumor was passed on to me again not very long ago, when a new young lady sat on a seat not far from me in a church. I greeted her and through a short conversation with her I came to know more about her. Then out of the blue she asked me if I knew anything about the minister that used teach from the Satanic Bible! No kidding it was 13 years after the rumor/story was first told about me. I had to tell her that the person that was accused of doing that was ME! She was shocked to say the least.
Yesterday at the “Big Mc” the old turkey refused to even look at me! It is really too funny. I was so tempted to go to him and ask how he was doing. But that would have spoiled his coffee time alone and also left me grinning from ear to ear.
"Ubuntu. How could any one of us be happy if all the others were sad?"
I am struggling with “Ubuntu” and what some people are calling “Christian”. What I am seeing and what I am witnessing – aint much of either from what I see around me now. Sad but true.
I do see that I had better do it their way or they will be angry with me.. and stay angry for over 13 years!
I do see demanding people that criticize everyone around them if they don’t get their way. That is not too Ubuntu to me – and what part of Christian does it play? The one person doing it is so called “Christian” too.
Oh well. It is not my problem anymore. It is someone else’s problem today. I can sit at McDonalds and just grin because I can see that it is eating him up inside.
Oh boy… I think I need to change too… but… my coffee might get cold. Oh boy!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com
Resource:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(philosophy)
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