The Ubuntu African Philosophy defines what it means to be "truly human." Ubuntu offers us an undertanding of us and our relationship with the world. This African philosophy states that there is a common bond between all of us, and through that bond, we will learn more about ourselves. There is a commonly said saying, "Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu," which means that a person is a person through other persons. Basically, Ubuntu says that we will grow through each other.
I like Ubuntu, and the way it makes me think. It gets me to really stop and think about humanity. What would happen if the whole world followed this philospohy? Would there be more peace, less wars? If we understood each other, would our society change for the better, or worse?
There is an interesting video by Jeremy Rifkin that we watched as a class, it can be found here. His concepts of an empathetic civilization is similar to the Ubuntu philosophy, which can be found here. They both explain the results of understanding each other as a society, and accepting different rules and opinions. Rifkin's video is extremely detailed, and it was difficult for me to fully understand his concepts. There were just so many different points that have been discussed for centuries, and issues that are still happening today. Ubuntu and Rifkin's topics go hand in hand. They both talk about different ways to better humanity as a whole.
This African philosophy fits well into our hope and the human spirit unit. The unit is all about different people, and the various ways we react to personal scenarios. Even though we are all unique, if we learn to accept each other, and feel for each other, maybe our society can grow together. It makes me think, can Ubuntu really make the world a better place?
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