In Praise of Being Connected

If there is no other truth to which I should tether myself, there is the truth that I cannot live my life in isolation.  Regardless of my passive aggressive demeanor that says, "Leave me alone," or the reflex to  try and read and be on top of every issue and trend, my life is hopelessly and eternally bound up in the lives of every person on this planet.  And I choose to see this as a good thing.  It's good because there is a chance for me to: (1) see the many ways it is possible to be human, (2) positively affect the quality of all our lives of people around me, (3) and lessen the amount of harm I inflict on Mother Earth upon whom I all depend.  I am persuaded that this is a good thing for all of us, but I start with my need to recognize how I must be grounded in this reality.

The philosophy or word ubuntu is variously translated.  But, at bottom it can be understood as "I am what I am because of who we all are."  Ubuntu is the declaration that in spite of everything that distinguishes us from each other - location and nation, language and religion, race, gender, class - we share a common existence and future.  We can make or break each other.  We can build each other up, or wage wage and kill ourselves.  We can make sure that conditions are in place for everyone to thrive, or we can horde the resources of this planet and make it impossible for other people to live.  I know the feeling of powerfulness that arises from erecting barriers, participating in character assassination, and taking more than I want and need.  And, I also know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of such disconnectedness and mania.  Nevertheless, today I choose not to live that way anymore.  I choose to live by a wisdom that calls me to speak and behave in ways that bear in mind the hopes and interests of the individual and groups in front of me, as well as those who are absent.  In a logic that defies our modern ways of interacting, it is my aim to bear in mind all of the unenforceable laws and graces I owe to persons whose paths I cross on a daily basis.  To do otherwise is to cheapen my own life and hasten my death.

This is my pledge.  This is my intention.  This will be difficult.  But, just as sure that I will not live into this high aspiration at any point in time, by the strength and wisdom of my ancestors, and the wise persons who walk with me still, it is also my intention to recognize my mistake and start again.  

Amen and Ase'