While talking with some children from an African tribal community, an anthropologist had a remarkable realization. He thought he would play a fun little game with them — but in the end, those children taught him a profound lesson.
The anthropologist placed a basket full of fruits under a tree some distance away and said to the children,
“Whoever runs fastest and reaches that tree first will get all the fruits in the basket.”
But when he gave the signal to start, he was stunned.
None of the children ran ahead. No one tried to win.
Instead, they all held hands, walked together to the tree, and began sharing the fruits equally among themselves.
Puzzled, the anthropologist asked them why they did that.
The children simply replied with one word — “Ubuntu.”
In their language, Ubuntu means:
“I am, because we are.”
Or, “How can I be happy when others are sad?”
Those so-called “primitive” people truly understand the meaning of happiness — that real joy cannot exist if others are left behind or deprived. True happiness is found only in living well together.
And yet, we call them uncivilized —
while in our “civilized” world, we compete, fight, and even destroy each other just to snatch someone else’s share of happiness.
Sometimes I wonder — who are the truly civilized ones? Us… or them?
