Ubuntu

By Chris Olson, Outreach Coordinator

Each Lutheran Volunteer Corps house is given a name by the first group of volunteers who are placed there. The new group gets to choose the name and they often choose a word from another language with deep, cultural meaning or an influential social justice, environmental, or spiritual leader whose ideals they want to live out in their shared community. When I first received my acceptance letter to LVC, I hoped I would be placed in a brand new house so I would have the opportunity to help pick the name. I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I learned that I would living in a house that had already been established but, not only that, a house with a name that I didn't even know what it meant. Ubuntu. What?

Throughout the year, my appreciation for the concept of Ubuntu has grown to the point of seeking to embody it in everything I do. It's a traditional African philosophy which recognizes how we are inextricably bound in each other’s humanity and translates as "I am because you are". I cannot be fully myself unless you are fully yourself. Our humanity is linked and in living lives of compassion we must care for one another as we would want others to care for us. The idea struck me when I first moved into our little community, but recently it embedded itself in my mind when I was exploring the Global Oneness Project website and found a video that fully explained Ubuntu from the view of those who live it out every day as part of their culture. Please take a second to check out this clip (its worth it!)



On Saturday, May 9th, Earth Ministry is sponsoring a free Global Oneness Project event titled The New Narrative: Local Voices for a Global Future at MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry). The event will include short films from the Global Oneness Project, interactive cafe-style conversations, guest speaker Orland Bishop, and a Q&A with filmmaker Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee. For more information visit Earth Ministry's homepage.