Ubuntu: I am because you are
Ubuntu.
As a word it means “I am because you are.”
As a way of life it means so much more. Ubuntu is taking a button off of your shirt to fix the shirt of a friend. Ubuntu is sleeping on the floor so someone else can have the bed. Ubuntu is in giving the last serving to your guests. It’s the woman who gives you a glass of water, unprompted, because she senses you may be thirsty. Ubuntu is in the eyes of the children, playing with one another, even though they may not speak the same language. Ubuntu is in digging into the bottom of your pocket to give, even when you have nothing to live on but your smile. Ubuntu is the old man on the corner, who gives away the wood he was whittling as a gift, because he enjoys the act of giving.
Ubuntu is that spirit inside all humanity that says “I am at my best and most human when my life serves others.” It doesn’t mean that my own needs have no value- much to the contrary! It means that my needs have value because when I am fulfilled, I can take that energy that comes from my fulfillment and pass it on to you in kind. Then you can take that energy, and you can pass it on- one to the other, each in kind, the energy growing every time until we all move in circles in this beautiful dance, this beautiful dance played out to the music of our hands, all together- like dancing around the fire to the sound of drums. A magical dance, the dance of life, a dance that has always been danced and will always go on for eternity.
The people of Senegal dance this dance well. My church has worked there many times, and every time they come back with the stories of the Senegalese people. They talk about how community is a way of life. How hospitality and generosity are praised more than beauty. They talk about people who work hard with their hands and give and give sometimes out of their nothingness, how there is nothing more impressive than the generous and open spirit through which they move. And the name of that spirit? It is Ubuntu- that I am, because you are. Without each other we lose our meaning.
It is in that spirit that I accept the badge of Ubuntu that I have been given. It is an honor, truly. Ubuntu is how I have always tried to live my life, even though I never knew the proper word to describe it. So I will take this energy, and I will pass it on. The dance continues.
We must always dance.
Ubuntu!
SanityFound replied:
I am because you are, I am nothing without you, the beautiful dance indeed. The truth is each person interprets it differently in what it means to them. Through it all the essence remains strong slowly gaining in strength person by person. This is just beautiful, I love your interpretation and spin, really and truly.
Wow!
August 25, 2008 at 7:54 pm. Permalink.
Stephanie replied:
This is beautiful and so very powerful.
Yes, we must always dance.
Thanks for sharing this, it brought smiles.
August 25, 2008 at 9:17 pm. Permalink.
wvhillcountry replied:
I had never thought about life in this way. But it is so very true. Thanks for this post.
August 26, 2008 at 12:38 am. Permalink.
Lindsey replied:
SanityFound: Phew, I can relax now!
Thank you so much!
Stephanie: Thank you- and thank you for your role in the dance!
wvhillcountry: When it comes as second nature, you don’t have to think about it. I suspect you have the spirit, as well.
August 26, 2008 at 2:30 am. Permalink.
Amber replied:
Lindsey – how lovely is this post. Honey, you are so talented with words it leaves me speechless at times. Far beyond your years. A truly old soul.
Welcome sister…
August 26, 2008 at 3:03 am. Permalink.
Vanessa replied:
way to go girl…. you really do embody this so much, and so richly deserve this. And, the post, it just captures it so well, in my heart I feel that…. the circle of drumming makes me be able to visualize and feel the beating of the drums, like the beating of our own hearts…. absolutely beautiful!!! Peace, Lindsey, Vanessa
August 26, 2008 at 3:22 am. Permalink.
Hayden Tompkins replied:
I love how you say that this is how you’ve lived your life, you just didn’t have a name for it. I think that’s clear.
“Ubuntu is sleeping on the floor so someone else can have the bed.”
Ubuntu!
August 26, 2008 at 11:32 am. Permalink.
angryafrican replied:
I love the way you say that you didn’t know what to call it before. That is the true beauty of Ubuntu. You either have it and love it without thinking or you don’t get it and don’t have it. You always had it. Now you know you are not alone. Because it has a name. Welcome home sister. Welcome home.
August 27, 2008 at 1:58 am. Permalink.
cordieb replied:
Not to sound redunant but . . I love how you say you didn’t know what to call it before. I feel ya. Your writing is profound; extreme talent! Your spirit is generous, loving and embarks the true spirit of Ubuntu. Peace, Light, Love and Ubuntu to you dearest Lindsey. Welcome!
September 6, 2008 at 10:58 pm. Permalink.
In the Spirit of Ubuntu: Lindsey. « In the Spirit of Ubuntu: I am because you are. replied:
[...] on Sabattical presently, she still deserves her props in terms of what she does for the belief of Ubuntu. She radiates it for [...]
October 15, 2008 at 12:27 pm. Permalink.