With the Russian invasion of Ukraine I have been having an existential moment regarding my writing. Although I am currently in the process of a crime novel I feel myself taking a break from crime and violence. In search of more feel good reading I came across this article published by QUORA. These days we all could use a bit of Ubuntu.
An anthropologist showed a game to a group of children of an African tribe. He placed a basket of delicious fruits near a tree trunk and told them: The first child to reach the tree will get the basket. When he gave them the start signal, he was surprised that they were walking together, holding hands until they reached the tree and shared the fruit!
When he asked them why they do that, when one of you could have got the basket all for them self! They answered with astonishment: Ubuntu.
“That is, how can one of us be happy while the rest are miserable?” Ubuntu in their civilisation means: I am because we are.
That tribe knows the secret of happiness that has been lost in all societies that transcended them, and they consider themselves as being the civilised societies!
Carol Balawyder 