Delving into the meaning of the Ubuntu philosophy

7/6/2023 4:35 pm | : 3 mins. | Share to:

Bringing people together is what i call 'ubuntu,' which means 'I am because we are.' Far too often people think of themselves 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. - Desmond Tutu

I have known of the term of ubuntu for years. Largely since it's rise as the name of a Linux distro in the 2000s. However I was re-introduced to it for its philosophical meaning as I continue listening to 'How to be Perfect.'

Ubuntu is an Nguni Bantu term meaning "humanity". And the philosophy it represents, as Desmond Tutu speaks to above, is "I am because we are." Which I absolutely adore.

From its Wikipedia page, the most recent definition of ubuntu from the African Journal of Social Work:

A collection of values and practices that people of Africa or of African origin view as making people authentic human beings. While the nuances of these values and practices vary across different ethnic groups, they all point to one thing – an authentic individual human being is part of a larger and more significant relational, communal, societal, environmental and spiritual world.

We are not individuals. We are part of a larger entity and we cannot be our true selves without it.

This speaks so much to my way of seeing the world and I am excited to dig deeper into it and look for books from African authors discussing it.