Humanity (as defined by the mac dictionary) means "human beings collectively" which reminds me of the African word Ubuntu: I am Because You Are. This notion aims to capture the oneness in humanity. As my friend Bon would say, "you got the same things as me, a nose, a mouth, five fingers, two eyes" she goes as far as and explicitly as saying "you got two titties, an asshole you shit, like I do, you eat like I do" the only difference, Bon highlights, between the both of us, is the color of our skin. That was the first time I had ever heard the concept of Ubuntu. The way that Bon introduced the idea undoubtedly left an indelible mark on my life. Ever since then God has been re-introducing the idea in the smallest of gestures. Today was one of those days where I rediscovered the genius and beauty behind ubuntu. One pastor said that where he comes from "individuals make communities" But if we following the principles of ubuntu communities must become individuals or display their oneness. As I was sitting in the conference room today, busily and frantically scheduling phone calls with photographers one of the ladies I've been anxiously tracking down unexpectedly showed up. Minutes later, a photographer picked up the phone after three rings and agreed to take pictures on Monday. I scheduled 1o AM for a person's photo shoot but really I meant 1 Pm and had to call him back quickly to clarify, his response was a simple "Yup, I can do 1 PM instead of 1o AM." What a relief. After coming back from a 2 your court hiatus (waiting in line to pay a traffic citation) I came back to find Jesus, a master event planner (his side job) and he asked "hows everything going? how can I help" We proceeded to sit down and go over logistics as he gave me pointers on what I needed to focus on: outreach and volunteers. Within a matter of 3 hours Ubuntu had become crystal clear to me. I am because they are, we are working together to make this exhibit happen. But it goes beyond what my comrades are helping me to do and even way beyond this exhibit. The exchanges clearly accentuate the oneness that is humanity working together for the greater good. That doesn't just happen when I'm collaborating to organize an event but it happens when I'm standing in line at court waiting to pay a bill and a guy who is having trouble understand the system gains clarity when a guy translates and tells him to follow the attendant. It happens when the bus driver greets me as I get on the bus. It happens I enter church and spend quiet time with the Father. This list can go on and on, for now I'm grateful and Thank God for gifting me the opportunity to be a part of the fabric of humans being.
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