My entire life I’ve struggled with the concept of religion… Though, never with the concept of a Higher Power… Just what man has done to manipulate our reason for being… I’ve searched and researched many religions, paths, faiths and philosophies and while the books come close to what my heart longs for, the majority of the practising people have discouraged me… The fundamental truths are constantly distorted and changed to suit the current situations… And rarely in a positive way…
17 years ago, I found my path, I found my guide, and my life changed forever… However, I still longed for a communal name for what my heart already knew to be true, so while my spirit was on its long, arduous, oft times feeling unattainable journey towards enlightenment, my brain needed closure, and I never stopped searching…
Then, one miraculous day, I read about Ubuntu, I remember thinking, this is what God is… This is what the High Power is… Ubuntu… It’s a philosophy that spans throughout Africa, and it bests translates to, “I am, because you are.”
I am, because you are… how beautiful, how simple, how perfect… (examples of Ubuntu I found during my research) If my neighbour is hungry, how can I eat without sharing with them? If a stranger comes to my town, I will feed them, house them, make them family… Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, a Zulu Sangoma (healer) from South Africa says “Unbutu is nothing more or less than compassion brought into colourful practice.”
Compassion brought into colourful practice… That has been my life(s)time quest… practice, always, compassion… Kindness, Compassion and Love is my mission in life…
As the last hours of 2013 tick away, I can honestly say I am glad to close this chapter on my life and start fresh with a new year… I faltered many times in 2013, I was overcome with grief, I was and am deeply depressed and I know I allowed myself to slip into a very dark place… That place scares me, and I want to come out, I want to come home…
So my renewed mission for 2014 is Ubuntu, I am, because you are… my heart is your heart, your heart is my heart, there is only one heart… Ubuntu…
Peace and Love for 2014
Some links on Ubuntu:
Nelson Mandela’s interpretation
Ubuntu’s philosophy, a short documentary
Bishop Desmond Tutu (one of my favourite beings of all time)
President Obama, at Nelson Mandela’s funeral
LalitaBaby 