Essay About Omuntu

As human beings, we cannot exist without other human beings. We are interconnected and need each other in order to survive. We need someone to lean on to when we suffer and someone to celebrate with when we are happy. Without others we won’t be able to learn new things. From whom will we learn if we exist alone? Everything that we do in the society affect others who live near us. In the Owambo communities, there is a saying “Omuntu omuntu molwaantu” which means “a person is a person because of others”.

Ubuntu is a word from the Nguni language which literally means “humanness” and is often translated as “humanity towards others”. Ubuntu is used in a philosophical sense to mean all humanity is connected through a universal bond of sharing. An

Most people are forgetting to be human and considerate because they are rushing to be rich. They associate being rich with respect, dignity and being loved. While they are climbing up the ladder to success, they often trample on others. They use devious ways like witchcraft to get to the top. They do not care if they hurt someone in the process. Once they reach the top, they start using others, mistreating and controlling others. Rich people do not share, the keep their money to themselves. They buy countless luxuries: for example a businessmen might have four cars and three houses while there are people going hungry in the streets, homeless people and orphans who need their help. It is rare to find a well-off person having the spirit of Ubuntu.

The other challenge of Ubuntu is that it is not a way of life for a single person but rather a community. It is about being kind, respectful and friendly to others. It should be noted that different individuals have different needs and that each person fulfill his/her needs differently. A very poor person who goes hungry might steal from rich people in order to feed him/herself. This means that the person is acting individually to satisfying his/her needs without thinking about how the robbery will affect the