Ujima (Haiku)

interdependence

prioritize common good

advance together.

© 2013 Liza Morales

Umija – Collective work and Responsibility:

To be sure, this principle cultivates the greatest sense and practice of empathy. Being empathic is not just an emotional feeling, but a critical component of our humanity. The African maxim give voice to this notion: “A human needs help.” The “imperative here is to act because our families and people deserve t be helped. This notion  is “born of an acute sense of the essential dependency of the human condition.” The African proverb underscores the concept and value of interdependency reasoning: “A human being is not a palm tree as to be self-sufficient.” Humans, therefore, at all times directly or indirectly, need the help of others.

(Kwanzaaguide.com)