Ubuntu
“No community has any right to prescribe destiny for other communities and never prescribe destiny for any person” Respect for other persons, their spiritual, religious, political, economic, cultural beliefs and customs are of fundamental importance in all encounters of life. Never is another person or community to be prescribed to or forced away from his […]
“To be inhumane is to not be human at all” Humanness is also the very essence of Ubuntu. To smile and laugh are the very basic behavioural elements of the daily Ubuntu lifestyle. Smiling is a reflective type of response. If one smiles at strangers and usually they will smile in return. A smile breaks […]
“We are mutually fulfilled when we stand by each other in moments of need” Empathy is to be able to put yourself in the place and situation of another. The person that can master empathy successfully will also experience satisfaction derived from eventual overcoming the need of another, since it is through empathy that one […]
“His survival is a precondition of my survival” In order to survive in the world of natural disasters, poverty and unforeseen circumstances, man is dependent on the survival of all. This interdependence of human beings, to be able to survive, creates an interpersonal bond of care and love. Human care is recognised in expressions of […]
“My neighbour is myself in a different guise” In the Ubuntu working place everybody is part of the collective extended family style of business. Meetings are held as a team (which is attended by all and not a few managers only) and as a collective all ideas are shared and once resolutions are taken, everyone […]
“My neighbour’s sorrow is my sorrow” Sympathy is vital in Ubuntu life and it is practised especially in times of sorrow. It is inevitable that sorrow will appear from time to time in the form of death, sickness or other hurtful events. When sorrow strikes a neighbour, who is also a brother, one suffers from […]
“We are mutually fulfilling complements” Sharing is an important value of Ubuntu. People have different qualities, talents and resources and these should be shared in a spirit of cooperativeness for positive living. Everyone should cooperate as sharing human beings and mutually fulfilling complements. This is indicative of the living of values like open-handedness and supportiveness […]
“We are unchanging equals” All people are equal and should be treated with dignity and respect. We should not allow that some eat whilst others go hungry or that some sleep warm whilst others are left out in the cold. The Constitution of South Africa, which is based on Ubuntu values, suggests that the human […]
