I turn over these things in my mind. I reflect on the uncertainties in our personal lives, I turn over the root causes of the conflicts in our families, the lack of trust and empathy in the relationships parents have with their children, and vice versa. This state of dryness and dummy-living spreads to our neighbours as well.
It spreads through our minds, perspectives and self-conduct, that we end up living isolated lives. As a society, we drift off from each other, disinterested in the next person’s needs. Inherently, we refuse to take responsibility to care for and help one another. Even when it is least inconvenient for us to do so.
To shame the devil, I ask myself these questions:
What happened to the spirit of Ubuntu? What will the future of our lives, our families, and our communities be? Is this the status quo that wins the day?
When we were growing up, we heard of a certain world with a certain life, held together by respect, orderly hierarchies, responsibility, traditions, and many other pillars that make the etiquette worth maintaining and enriching. However, as we grow up, we begin to realise that there are lies, factions, classes, superstitions, secrets and all other evil deeds in our lives and families. In hindsight, when we grow up, we learn about the world by normalising what we observe and hear of, in the world. We put little thought into the patterns of the world. Rather, we obliviously adapt the hate, cruelty, desperation, fear, and impromptu reaction to defend and fight for what only concerns us. We have grown into self-centred figures in the community. This cancer demonises our personalities. Amidst this state of callousness, some of us become too cynical. We reach a pure state of distrust of one another, it becomes impossible for us to give a hand in times of need.
All that I have mentioned here, is not to disregard the treacherousness and volatility of the world, in which we live. Rather, to encourage a positive mindset to weather the storms of the world’s tides. Acknowledging and renewing the notion of co-existence can bring back some spark to the darkness of the world. Simply put, being helpful and available for one another when needed is laudable. Furthermore, a society that co-exists shares accountability and responsibility. In other words, such a society joins hands to curb and extinguish crime, violence, poverty, and depression. A mere “good morning” to a stranger, when safe to do so, rekindles Ubuntu. In that light, being kind and helpful is a seed that gives fruition to peace, happiness, and health. What is more, leading this life with honesty and integrity could make this world a safer place. Being honest means being true to yourself and to others. We can be honest in everything that we do, including; speech, behaviour and thought. Arguably, an honest person is someone with integrity, a dependable person who will always do the right thing even when there isn’t a witness.
In summary, it is noted that sustaining a positive mindset in this volatile world is not a walk in the park. Nonetheless, it is viable to resuscitate the spirit of Ubuntu. We can still make this world a better place, one mouthful of Ubuntu at a time.
