Ubuntu {oǒ’boǒntoō|} in ten words: I Am Because We Are, We Are Because I Am

 African culture:  UBUNTU {oǒ’boǒntoō|}: The 0rigin of the word Ubuntu comes from the Xhosa/Zulu culture, the community into which Nelson Mandela was born, and has been summarized in the phrase, "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" in the Nguni language of Xhosa, Zulu, or Ndebele. The concept of this phrase can be translated to mean, "A person is a person through other persons," or "I am because we are." In Mandela’s explanation it touches upon the multi-faceted nature of Ubuntu, including the way one feels Ubuntu as an innate duty to support one's fellow man. People should enrich themselves, meaning grow in their own Ubuntu, but true enrichment will naturally align with the duty to act towards the spiritual growth of one's community. Ubuntu is a spiritual ideal, a way of life that is conceptually represented in a wide range of sub-Saharan African societies. While Ubuntu exists in many variations within different African cultures and languages, each conceptualization retains the same core of meaning that is both a goal and a guide for humanity. In a philosophical sense it promotes the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity".

The Spirit of Ubuntu Music Video:   https://www.spiritofubuntu.us/videos/The-Spirit-of-Ubuntu-Music-Video/  4 min.

"I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts more. I will tell you in my way how the Indian sees things. The white man has more words to tell you how they look to him, but it does not require many words to speak the truth. If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian... we can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike.... give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who is born a free man should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases. We only ask an even chance to live as other men live. We ask to be recognized as men. Let me be a free man...free to travel... free to stop... free to work... free to choose my own teachers... free to follow the religion of my Fathers... free to think and talk and act for myself."  -- Chief Joseph  (1840-1904) Chief of the Wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce Indians

WARNINGS: FINDING CASSANDRAS TO STOP CATASTROPHES  By Richard A. Clarke and R.P. Eddy,  2017: https://cco.ndu.edu/PRISM-7-2/Article/1401978/warnings-finding-cassandras-to-stop-catastrophes/   The first 8 chapters detail the millions of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars lost to catastrophes,– natural and human engineered – due to people in power failing to act on the advanced warnings of experts.   The last eight chapters estimates the billions of lives and trillions of dollars that could be saved if humanity collectively works to prevent the other dire warnings now being given regarding other threats (some existential).  Chapter 11 “The Journalist: Pandemic Disease”.   Most instructive is Chapter 9.  It outlines three cognitive reasons why humans ignore such warnings.

Here’s a video of optimism if you dare watch it  https://www.rethinkx.com/videos

Chuck Woolery 

Former Chair, United Nations Association Council of Organizations

Former Issues Director, Global Health Council.

Former Action Board member, American Public Health Association.

Author of 1996 and 1997 Congressional testimony warnings regarding threats to US and global bio- security.  For a Word Document copy of it...email chuck@igc.org