Ubuntu

 


What do you see in this blank piece of paper? Possibilities, Peace, or calm cloudy sky.

Thich Nhat Hanh perceives something diverse — he sees the interconnected and interdependent world. As the master explains, the paper is made of trees, and trees in turn grow and survive of air and soil and sunlight. Furthermore, transforming the tree into paper entails the work and skill of lumberjacks and artisans. And, of course, these workers dependent on food that farmers have nurtured from the soil. So, really, the blank piece of paper isn't empty - it contains a little bit of all life weaved together in a blank piece of paper.

The concept of ubuntu from the Nguni people of southern Africa, pronounces how humans can only flourish through sharing. No one is truly a "rugged individual," we only last when we all work together.


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