hi everyone it is an absolute honor to
be up here talking to you about a
concept that I think is it’s quite
instinctive when we talk about
understanding it my aim up here is not
to give some sort of magical formula
that’s going to transform us into
wonderful human beings because there
simply isn’t and I’ll gara them for
human compassion and that makes the
whole thing more worthwhile and more
lasting we find often that we tend to
forget about one of the most profound
parts of the human experience and that
is our ability to care for one another
too conscientiously care for one another
and it’s it’s not it’s not a surprising
thing because the world we live in isn’t
exactly perfect we can’t always go about
our lives thinking that everything’s
wonderful and be filled with love and
hope and happiness for the future now we
could possibly attribute this to the
fact that there are very stark
differences amongst our personalities
and that of those around us which we
which lead to disagreement however if we
were to be living in homologous society
where sameness was preached well more so
than it is now I don’t think we would
have been able to further this much as a
species individuality has furthered us
more than homogeneity could have ever
hoped to do so one thing is for certain
if it weren’t for our ancestors if it
weren’t for human beings we won’t be
where we are right now I would like to
propose that with every new generation
with every new group of people that walk
across this earth humanity is renewed it
is replenished
it is resuscitated with the Sleuth
knowledge skills an entirely new outlook
to life it is through this
interconnectedness that we have been
able to further we can relate to one
another and this is the concept of
Ubuntu Ubuntu is a South African
humanist philosophy it is an in goony
proverb meaning a person is a person
through other persons now the
fundamental idea behind this is that we
thrive through one another because
everybody has special skills and talents
that could benefit the greater good now
we want to preach us selflessness
so that these skills and talents may be
used for the greater good so you may
benefit from whatever everyone else else
has to offer and everyone else may
my very being up here is a testament to
this idea see my first draft board my
mom senseless so that had to go right
out the window I started all over again
back to the drawing board and then the
second draft I managed to confuse not
only myself but my English teacher who
is a very formidable gentleman and then
I went on to the teacher introduced the
concept of a bunted to me and I became
clear what I had to do which is the
speech basically now apart from the
people who helped me with the making of
the speech I’ve got friends friends who
encouraged me to stand up here and speak
to you
I am thriving because I have all of
these people around me I’m thriving
because of all these people who helped
me thrive I like to think of a boon to
as meaning I am because you are implying
that my humanity is as a result of
recognizing that of your own let me put
this into context Archbishop Desmond
Tutu was a very prominent figure in the
anti-apartheid movement in the 1980s and
he had this to say about Ubuntu my
humanity is bound up in yours for we can
only be human together this resonated
with the people of South Africa deeply
because this was a time of racial
segregation it was institutionalized
racism by the African international
party it reminded people of their
humanity to remind them that in order
for the nation to to progress to move
forward that to recognizes everyone they
have to recognize everyone is being
equal same now there are numerous
definitions for what humanity can mean
some may choose to go with it as being
the sum total of all human beings have
ever existed on planet Earth
but I’d like to approach it with
humanity is meaning the trait of being
humane the quality of displaying
benevolence now benevolence is it’s a
rather big word it’s not
and I don’t just mean in length I mean
in the maths it carries in terms of
meaning benevolent is something we
associate with a God and that is a
testament to how very difficult it can
be to implement we’ve all had New Year’s
resolutions of being nicer to people and
that’s it’s difficult to say the least
because we do Co exist a maximum very
interesting people um yeah but we try
the fact that we try it all could
separate us it does separate us as a
species because we recognize that while
the circumstances of those around us are
different fundamentally we are the same
we all have some days when we’re just
not feeling it it’s not it’s not it’s
not going our way and that’s when we see
comfort in our family and our friends
that’s when we’re reminded of how
important it is to have a support system
and it’s in those times when we get
these weird urges to be there for people
who we don’t really like um we’re
reminded to pay it forward now open to
maintains that because we’re all human
our experiences are largely similar not
exactly the same but largely similar we
can relate to good days and we can
relate to bad days so when someone we
care about comes to us with with an
experience that they’re really happy
about or something that they’re not
happy about we tap in to these
experiences and we empathize with them
not sympathize nobody wants pity and if
they do they’re not ready for the
healing process yet they need to want to
change and that helps you can help them
with empathy this could be either
understanding what they were going
through but like I mentioned before no
two experiences are the same so an
understanding doesn’t quite work
acceptance is where we find comfort in
when some people can confide in others
it’s not that they’re looking for
answers they just want a voice they just
they just want to understand get a sense
of what exactly it is that they’re
feeling and in order to do this
sometimes we just have to trust in
people there’s no there’s no fixed way
of approaching human emotion and like I
said in the beginning of my talk it just
makes it more interesting now that
brings me on to my next point we’re
talking about blind faith in here blind
faith here to an extent
should we be implementing Ubuntu at all
it’s a very idealistic concept and it
assumes that all human beings are
fundamentally good when this may not
necessarily be the case see I would like
to elaborate
I would like to allow us to think of a
more brighter future where – we’re told
to often about how unpleasant the world
is about how dire situations are and I
can’t I cannot say for even a second
that the world we live in is perfect
because it is not it is not perfect not
by milestone but we can’t appreciate
what we have we can be grateful for what
we have and in that way we can help
others thrive we’re lucky to be alive
we’re lucky to have the capacity to
experience love to experience happiness
sadness anger resentment yes anger and
resentment and sadness because you can’t
know when you’re high if you don’t know
what it feels like to be low we’ve got
things like music we’ve got things like
books poetry we can witness the
wonderful world around us we can travel
we have all these things to do and to be
grateful for and I would like to propose
that all of these things are as a result
of our fellow human beings we share our
happy moments we share our sad moments
with those around us because they can
relate to they can understand vaguely
what we’re trying to say to them we’re
introduced to new musics new books
poetry places by people around us who
care enough to share them with us it’s
it’s like that bond you have with the
person who introduced a wonderful piece
of music
now I personally will never never stop
being grateful to my 7th grade English
teacher for teaching me Fahrenheit 451
which I’m sure quite a few people in the
audience here could remember now that
book fundamentally changed the way I
thought and I will forever be grateful
to her for it I can appreciate my
existence wholly because I’ve got all of
you around me to share it with see human
beings are social creatures
what good with a birthday be if you were
to be alone in a dark room with a melt
with a melting candle and a piece of dry
fruitcake mumbling happy
stay to yourself things like things like
birthdays funerals friendship days even
death anniversaries these are all
celebrating those around us these are
what celebrating the human spirit
celebrating people who had a profound
impact on us whether they changed the
way we thought made us feel better about
ourselves or just introduced us to
something new but these are all rather
grand ways of implementing the concept
of Ubuntu I would like to tell you that
political movements organizations grand
celebrations are not the only way we
could be approaching this there are
smaller ways with which we can be
changing society actively changing
society say hi to someone you haven’t
spoken to in a while to a long-lost
friend ask someone how they’re doing and
actually care about what how their day
is going you could introduce them to
things that make you happy I would like
to end my talk off by saying humanity it
never really died I don’t think it ever
did that the human spirit is one of
great endurance I it’s hard to quench it
basically it just needs a new outlook
just needs a whole new outlook that I
think this generation could bring to the
table it’s just a question of how we
make it better for those around us and
that is what happened to peaches thank
you [Applause]
be up here talking to you about a
concept that I think is it’s quite
instinctive when we talk about
understanding it my aim up here is not
to give some sort of magical formula
that’s going to transform us into
wonderful human beings because there
simply isn’t and I’ll gara them for
human compassion and that makes the
whole thing more worthwhile and more
lasting we find often that we tend to
forget about one of the most profound
parts of the human experience and that
is our ability to care for one another
too conscientiously care for one another
and it’s it’s not it’s not a surprising
thing because the world we live in isn’t
exactly perfect we can’t always go about
our lives thinking that everything’s
wonderful and be filled with love and
hope and happiness for the future now we
could possibly attribute this to the
fact that there are very stark
differences amongst our personalities
and that of those around us which we
which lead to disagreement however if we
were to be living in homologous society
where sameness was preached well more so
than it is now I don’t think we would
have been able to further this much as a
species individuality has furthered us
more than homogeneity could have ever
hoped to do so one thing is for certain
if it weren’t for our ancestors if it
weren’t for human beings we won’t be
where we are right now I would like to
propose that with every new generation
with every new group of people that walk
across this earth humanity is renewed it
is replenished
it is resuscitated with the Sleuth
knowledge skills an entirely new outlook
to life it is through this
interconnectedness that we have been
able to further we can relate to one
another and this is the concept of
Ubuntu Ubuntu is a South African
humanist philosophy it is an in goony
proverb meaning a person is a person
through other persons now the
fundamental idea behind this is that we
thrive through one another because
everybody has special skills and talents
that could benefit the greater good now
we want to preach us selflessness
so that these skills and talents may be
used for the greater good so you may
benefit from whatever everyone else else
has to offer and everyone else may
my very being up here is a testament to
this idea see my first draft board my
mom senseless so that had to go right
out the window I started all over again
back to the drawing board and then the
second draft I managed to confuse not
only myself but my English teacher who
is a very formidable gentleman and then
I went on to the teacher introduced the
concept of a bunted to me and I became
clear what I had to do which is the
speech basically now apart from the
people who helped me with the making of
the speech I’ve got friends friends who
encouraged me to stand up here and speak
to you
I am thriving because I have all of
these people around me I’m thriving
because of all these people who helped
me thrive I like to think of a boon to
as meaning I am because you are implying
that my humanity is as a result of
recognizing that of your own let me put
this into context Archbishop Desmond
Tutu was a very prominent figure in the
anti-apartheid movement in the 1980s and
he had this to say about Ubuntu my
humanity is bound up in yours for we can
only be human together this resonated
with the people of South Africa deeply
because this was a time of racial
segregation it was institutionalized
racism by the African international
party it reminded people of their
humanity to remind them that in order
for the nation to to progress to move
forward that to recognizes everyone they
have to recognize everyone is being
equal same now there are numerous
definitions for what humanity can mean
some may choose to go with it as being
the sum total of all human beings have
ever existed on planet Earth
but I’d like to approach it with
humanity is meaning the trait of being
humane the quality of displaying
benevolence now benevolence is it’s a
rather big word it’s not
and I don’t just mean in length I mean
in the maths it carries in terms of
meaning benevolent is something we
associate with a God and that is a
testament to how very difficult it can
be to implement we’ve all had New Year’s
resolutions of being nicer to people and
that’s it’s difficult to say the least
because we do Co exist a maximum very
interesting people um yeah but we try
the fact that we try it all could
separate us it does separate us as a
species because we recognize that while
the circumstances of those around us are
different fundamentally we are the same
we all have some days when we’re just
not feeling it it’s not it’s not it’s
not going our way and that’s when we see
comfort in our family and our friends
that’s when we’re reminded of how
important it is to have a support system
and it’s in those times when we get
these weird urges to be there for people
who we don’t really like um we’re
reminded to pay it forward now open to
maintains that because we’re all human
our experiences are largely similar not
exactly the same but largely similar we
can relate to good days and we can
relate to bad days so when someone we
care about comes to us with with an
experience that they’re really happy
about or something that they’re not
happy about we tap in to these
experiences and we empathize with them
not sympathize nobody wants pity and if
they do they’re not ready for the
healing process yet they need to want to
change and that helps you can help them
with empathy this could be either
understanding what they were going
through but like I mentioned before no
two experiences are the same so an
understanding doesn’t quite work
acceptance is where we find comfort in
when some people can confide in others
it’s not that they’re looking for
answers they just want a voice they just
they just want to understand get a sense
of what exactly it is that they’re
feeling and in order to do this
sometimes we just have to trust in
people there’s no there’s no fixed way
of approaching human emotion and like I
said in the beginning of my talk it just
makes it more interesting now that
brings me on to my next point we’re
talking about blind faith in here blind
faith here to an extent
should we be implementing Ubuntu at all
it’s a very idealistic concept and it
assumes that all human beings are
fundamentally good when this may not
necessarily be the case see I would like
to elaborate
I would like to allow us to think of a
more brighter future where – we’re told
to often about how unpleasant the world
is about how dire situations are and I
can’t I cannot say for even a second
that the world we live in is perfect
because it is not it is not perfect not
by milestone but we can’t appreciate
what we have we can be grateful for what
we have and in that way we can help
others thrive we’re lucky to be alive
we’re lucky to have the capacity to
experience love to experience happiness
sadness anger resentment yes anger and
resentment and sadness because you can’t
know when you’re high if you don’t know
what it feels like to be low we’ve got
things like music we’ve got things like
books poetry we can witness the
wonderful world around us we can travel
we have all these things to do and to be
grateful for and I would like to propose
that all of these things are as a result
of our fellow human beings we share our
happy moments we share our sad moments
with those around us because they can
relate to they can understand vaguely
what we’re trying to say to them we’re
introduced to new musics new books
poetry places by people around us who
care enough to share them with us it’s
it’s like that bond you have with the
person who introduced a wonderful piece
of music
now I personally will never never stop
being grateful to my 7th grade English
teacher for teaching me Fahrenheit 451
which I’m sure quite a few people in the
audience here could remember now that
book fundamentally changed the way I
thought and I will forever be grateful
to her for it I can appreciate my
existence wholly because I’ve got all of
you around me to share it with see human
beings are social creatures
what good with a birthday be if you were
to be alone in a dark room with a melt
with a melting candle and a piece of dry
fruitcake mumbling happy
stay to yourself things like things like
birthdays funerals friendship days even
death anniversaries these are all
celebrating those around us these are
what celebrating the human spirit
celebrating people who had a profound
impact on us whether they changed the
way we thought made us feel better about
ourselves or just introduced us to
something new but these are all rather
grand ways of implementing the concept
of Ubuntu I would like to tell you that
political movements organizations grand
celebrations are not the only way we
could be approaching this there are
smaller ways with which we can be
changing society actively changing
society say hi to someone you haven’t
spoken to in a while to a long-lost
friend ask someone how they’re doing and
actually care about what how their day
is going you could introduce them to
things that make you happy I would like
to end my talk off by saying humanity it
never really died I don’t think it ever
did that the human spirit is one of
great endurance I it’s hard to quench it
basically it just needs a new outlook
just needs a whole new outlook that I
think this generation could bring to the
table it’s just a question of how we
make it better for those around us and
that is what happened to peaches thank
you [Applause]
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