My God, I read in my morning newspaper a nice column from Babah Tarawally *.
He is a Dutch writer from Sierra Leone and responds to the polarization in the world, writes about the we-them thinking that nowadays seems to grow because of populist politicians. He quotes the African philosopher Mogober Ramose about the Ubuntu philosophy. When he asked Ramose how we should get past the we-them thinking, Ramose smiled and said that "in the Ubuntu philosophy only a we exist."
Tarawally continues: “Ubuntu is the African philosophy that says that you are only human when you recognize the other as human. I am because we are! "
Would You like to comment on this? Thus it seems as if enlightenment and individualism are wrong.
My son, now at Easter I naturally like to talk about Christ. But there
is a connection, he was a Ubuntu philosopher avant la lettre and a great
individualist.
But first this.
The we-them thinking comes from something very different than from
Ubuntu or enlightenment and individualism. The we-them thinking is primitive
and is growing a little bit in these times of global uncertainty, but it is an
outdated and self-centered and underdeveloped worldview of short-sighted
nationalism.
The we-them thinking is really not solved by a we-thinking.
Individualism is too important.
And the we-them thinking is not solved either by a great attachment to
individualism.The we-them-thinking can only be solved through spiritual growth, education, good social services, freedom and honest news.
But now Our Christ, because it is Easter.
He did not die for your sins, as I said in an earlier blog, but He
lived for your chances. He was an example.
According to the Ubuntu philosophy, the Christ was a perfect prophet of
love, forbearance, sense of community and renunciation of ego and egoism.
According to the philosophy of enlightenment and individualism, Christ
was a perfect prophet of the own responsibility and he was very determined to fight
against the group norms of that time and to oppose the will of those in power
for the sake of the poor, oppressed and women. He was a great, brave and strong
individualist.Christ was so to speak both, Ubuntu philosopher and individualist.
Africa must get to know individualism.
The rest of the world needs to learn of the Ubuntu philosophy. And only with both mankind will make progress.
Babah Tarawally and Mogober Ramose are blessed.
My blessings to you all
*The Dutch Newspaper Trouw April 20, 2019
No 450
