Ubuntu - I am because you are

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In the forest of Ubuntu, everyone looked out for the other. The mighty trees collected dew and rain and passed it down to the smaller plants.Their leaves spread to collect and hold water for others to drink, and then curled to filter sunlight to those who couldn’t reach it; they provided shelter and camouflage for those in danger and diverted the course of the wind to throw hunters off.

Birds plucked fruit for mammals on the forest floor. Elephants used used their huge limbs and trunks to pave footpaths for everyone. In Ubuntu, everyone looked our for everyone. Everyone lived for others and then for themselves. Life was enjoyable and easy.

One night at full moon, a Nighthawk sat on the dense branch of an iroko tree and sang. It was a loud beautiful song that echoed through quiet and sleepy Ubuntu. Beneath the iroko, retracted in its shell and deep in sleep was a wise, aged Tortoise. The Nighthawks’s song woke the Tortoise, who dutifully tapped the vine that travelled from the root to the crown of the iroko, “Vine, tell the Hawk to shush, there could be a hunters nearby and she could attract them.”

But the vine was annoyed by the disturbance to his sleep.

“I won’t tell her anything. Let her sing. If she gets shot that’s her business. It will be for the good for the rest of us anyway, we can get a good night’s sleep,” the Vine answered. “We look out for each other friend. We are because she is. Just warn her,” the Tortoise persisted. The Vine refused.

Three times the tortoise tried to get the Vine to warn the Hawk. Thrice the Vine stubbornly refused. It appeared in that moment that the spirit of Ubuntu had deserted the Vine.

A hunter came passing.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, sounded the footsteps of the hunter attracted by the bird song. All the animals went stone-still except the oblivious Hawk. And so the tortoise, too slow to attempt running, retreated into his shell and lay as still as possible. A shot rang out and down came the Hawk. And where did the hawk land? Right on top of the poor, old tortoise.

The hunter picked both bird and reptile to his delight, and for ease of transport, he cut the Vine to tie them together. He went on his merry way, whistling happily to himself.

Throughout the journey, the Vine angrily complained and blamed the dead bird, ” I am going to wither and die because of this stupid bird and her loud beak. How unfair!”

“You are going to wither and die because of your loud silence Vine. Please go back to being complacently silent so I can ponder my fate. At least you know you will die soon. I don’t know what is to become of me; am I going to be a pet or will I end up in a soup pot?”

And thus the hunter carried his bounty out of Ubuntu, slinging them over his shoulder by the help of the sturdiest ‘rope’ he had ever seen. “I need to come back in the day and harvest more of these ropes, they will sell well in the market,” he said to himself as he journeyed home.

Ubuntu – I am because you are.

Humans cannot successfully exist in isolation. Isn’t that why we’re struggling in this era of social distancing? We depend on connection, community, and caring. If we use our talents and capabilities to better our communities as opposed to using them solely for self-progression, we would realize that we reap both personal and communal benefits, which is much better.

In these volatile and difficult period we all find ourselves, I challenge you to identify how you can help a Nighthawk stay safe, you may be saving yourself by saving someone.