By Anas bin Rashid 11-J
Humankind has been granted the greatest gift any creation has ever received and that is the gift of intelligence.
God has created humans in the best of forms and has raised humankind above his other creations and dignified him, and thus humanity is most respected among all his creations and deserves it rightly so. The above-mentioned quote is an Ubuntu maxim that emphasizes the fact that humans are neither solitary nor singular creatures, just like a single ant can’t create a colony on its own, all of the glory humanity has achieved is through community rather than through a single man or woman. Ubuntu is the sub-Saharan ideology or more so a way of life. It advocates that Humanity is a family and all are equal, however, it also preserves the individuality, respect, and dignity of each and every individual and it’s the recognition and giving of due rights to every being that makes a man human. Ubuntu doesn’t aim to kill the interests of one rather it says that the interests of one should align with the interests of many and one does not necessarily have to harm himself to create a better community and country.
The South African President and anti-apartheid figure Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, was a strong advocate of Ubuntu, and he described Ubuntu as “A traveler through a country would stop at a village and he didn’t have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food and entertain him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu but it will have various aspects.”
Global Dignity Day celebrates the uniqueness and individuality of each and every human being from all walks of life, it accepts the differences of human beings and that it is this quality that should make humanity respect each other’s rights and dignity. The whole world has been polarized into opposite poles, one considers only himself right, and all others wrong and inferior which has led to violence, hatred, racism, classism, and wars, which has only ever led to losses for both sides and leaves none as a winner in the end, as what one considers victory can
only be pyrrhic in nature. When we consider all this, we may feel hopeless but we must not forget that the only gift left in Pandora’s Box was ‘Hope’. If humanity recognizes the worth of each of its brothers, it will not be let to commit fratricide, rather it will strive to protect its and its brother’s dignity and integrity.
“Human rights rest on human dignity. The dignity of man is an ideal worth fighting for and worth dying for.” Robert Maynard
Chivalry is not dead in humanity. It still upholds honor and decency in high regard. It just has to be allowed to flourish in each and every corner of the world. Harry S. Truman once said, “We must build a new world, a far better world, one in which the eternal dignity of man is respected.” Once this dream can be materialized all
problems of humanity will vanish, through hard work, determination and unity.
“Dignity of human nature requires that we must face the storms of life.” Mahatma Gandhi.