Social Research Assignment: Ubuntu! An Inspiring Story About an African Tradition

Question

Task: Write a detailed and well-research social research assignment addressing the following parts:
Part 1: Creative Writing (300 words diary entry/letter/poem/short story based on the chosen theme: ubuntu)
Part 2: Reflection (900 words in first person) 1. What is ubuntu? Define it in your own words. (150 words)
2. How and where is ubuntu evidently shown in the creative story? (150 words)
3. What ideas does Ubuntu contribute to the Common Good? (200 words)
4. How is the Preferential Option for the Poor shown in ubuntu? (200 words)
5. What ideas does Ubuntu raise about a harmonious society in relation to the Universal Purpose of Goods? (200 words)

Answer

Part 1 Creative writing
The short story that is going to be discussed below within this social research assignment is a story called Ubuntu that genuinely struck me. It narrates the story of a geologist who observed the power of collaboration in an African tribe. This is how the narrative goes. The anthropologist gathered the youngsters of the community and declared that they were planning to perform a sport. He had hung a basket of fruit from a tree branch and informed the kids that the objective of the game is to be the first to reach the basket. The champion would receive all of the fruit. When the game began, the children rose up, held hands, and rushed to the branch collectively.Children gathered the basket, sat down, and divided the fruits between everyone. So, when the Geologist questioned why they had gathered the basket jointly when they might have gained and had all the fruits to themselves, the children answered, 'Ubuntu! 'How could we be joyful while everyone else is unhappy?'

It is believed that this ubuntu tale provides everyone with the cure for separation. In today's environment, people are pushed to exhibit their uniqueness and see themselves as distinct individuals. This self-centeredness comes at a heavy cost; many individuals feel detached, and prolonged social withdrawal, and it is on the increase, are indicators of this ailment. for instance, one in every four persons reports feeling lonely on a daily basis. The narrative of Ubuntu teaches that "we are not alone because we are part of a wider and amazing cosmic network". It also emphasizes that achievement is significantly more enjoyable when shared.

Part 2: Reflection
Answer 1
Ubuntu is an old African term that means "kindness to others." It is frequently defined as a reminder that "I become what I am because of who we all are." It emphasizes the concept that we are all interconnected and thus can only develop and advance by seeing others develop and thrive. Ubuntu is really about community and how most of our activities affect others as well as the community . It is the recurring theme running across the United Nations' Development Targets, as well as the driving force behind the quest to eradicate poverty and hunger so everybody, worldwide, can live equitably. Regarding creative people, Ubuntu is a strong source of motivation. When people operate in the sense of togetherness, we are energized by the powers of passion and commitment because we know we are participating in something much larger than ourselves. We develop awareness as to how our job may affect others.

Answer 2
Ubuntu is shown by a bunch of children in a form of the game where they show their sense of teamwork and unity and not selfishness. Ubuntu is shown in the creative story in the part where the children rose up, held hands, and rushed to the branch collectively .Children gathered the basket, sat down, and divided the fruits between everyone. And when the Geologist questioned why they had gathered the basket jointly when they might have gained and had all the fruits to themselves, the children answered, 'Ubuntu! 'How could we be joyful while everyone else is unhappy?'

Answer 3
State-made global health choices include significant differences in the plan of events, uncertainty, and compromises arising from moral conflicts between the requirements of civil freedoms and the purposes of global health. Ubuntu ("I am because we are"), contributes to the common good of its concentration on empathy, kindness, and social duty, and has the ability to smooth and prevent complications involving personal interests and legal welfare . In my opinion, the usage of Ubuntu changes main motivation and decision-making morals away from a branch of philosophy moulded by the rest of the world and toward the daily values, decision-making, and subsequent actions of people throughout most of Africa.I believe Ubuntu, as a people-centred philosophy, states that a person's worth is determined by social, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions. It necessitates a way of life based on moral interaction with the society, meaningful awareness of the betterment of the people, and foundational involvement with each other in a reasonable and moral society .In my opinion, the essence of the African Ubuntu ideology is inextricably linked to collectivism and socialism. Working with people as a group is also vital in Ubuntu partnerships.

Answer 4
I feel as nothing more than a method of being humanly united, Ubuntu is homeless and displaced. Rather than a transmission of humanity and justice via ubuntu-solidarity, streets homeless persons and those living in vulnerable and vulnerable conditions are assaulted and excluded as a result of a displacement of ubuntu-values. This also shows a widening gap between both the theory of ubuntu and its real manifestation in local urban political economies, religious groups, and colleges.In my opinion, there seems to be a contemporary interest, even obsession, among academics with the phrase ubuntu, as well as a coercion of the same concept among leaders, especially nationalist ones.

I think that it might just be a sign of the Africanization process that (post)colonial colleges are engaging on, however falsely, and possessing a phrase like ubuntu to barter with proves useful. For others, maybe ubuntu is a helpful concept to conceal selfish greed and comfortable forgetting of the underprivileged behind, implying, however erroneously, a fidelity to earlier ideas of social togetherness . For some, it may be a desire for abandoned origins, either passionately for brief periods of introspection or more drastically in terms of behaviour reversal.Ubuntu's inability, or people's inability to function by the principles inherent and clear in Ubuntu, implies ubuntu's replacement. The truth of poor homeless, unplanned settlements and other types of unstable living implies that ubuntu as a means of becoming human together would have most likely been displaced by increased selfishness and privatisation. Trying to isolate the impoverished from the privileged and denying them access to services for a fair living and long-term livelihoods.

Answer5
Attitudes in accordance with Ubuntu is defined as a person's condition of being, in which the person’s attitude is regulated by the capacity to understand and comprehend within the framework of the society. According to the Ubuntu ideology, I believe the only way to improve one's wealth is to share it with some other people in society, hence elevating one's position within surrounding communities.In my opinion, the universal purpose of goods of Ubuntu is global unity as well as an intercultural brotherhood . I feel those characteristics of Ubuntu listed above demonstrate that an African culture that really is humanitarian in essence is more culture-based and socialist than Modern civilization. Organizations may well be encouraged to teach their staff adopting Ubuntu as a concept since doing so will assist African firms to gain a better knowledge of African culture and their duties as integral members (organizational citizens) of that community. The positive characteristics of Ubuntu also indicate how a corporation may gain by comprehending the significance of having social ethics that is in accordance with African culture.

References
1 Jen Boudreau, ‘Ubuntu’ I am what I am because of who we all are’, June 2, 2012, https://motivationinspirationandlife.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/ubuntu-i-am-what-i-ambecause-of-who-we-all-are/.

2 Jen Boudreau, ‘Ubuntu’ I am what I am because of who we all are’, June 2, 2012, https://motivationinspirationandlife.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/ubuntu-i-am-what-i-ambecause-of-who-we-all-are/.
3 David D. Lutz, ‘African Ubuntu Philosophy and Global Management’, Journal of Business Ethics, (2009) 84:313-328. DOI 10.1007/s10551-009-0204-z

4 David D. Lutz, ‘African Ubuntu Philosophy and Global Management’, Journal of Business Ethics, (2009) 84:313-328. DOI 10.1007/s10551-009-0204-z

5 Banda, C. ‘Ubuntu as human flourishing?An African traditional religious analysis of ubuntu and its challenge to Christian anthropology’. Social research assignment Stellenbosch Theological Journal 2019, Vol 5, No 3, 203–228 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17570/stj.2019.v5n3.a10

6 Banda, C. ‘Ubuntu as human flourishing?An African traditional religious analysis of ubuntu and its challenge to Christian anthropology’. Stellenbosch Theological Journal 2019, Vol 5, No 3, 203–228 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17570/stj.2019.v5n3.a10