I AM BECAUSE YOU ARE (WSICE 2020 ENTRY)

English poet, academic, author of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and one of the greatest writers of high fantasy the world has ever known, John Reuel observed, “All have their worth and each contributes to the worth of the others.” With the knowledge of this truth, little wonder his books were blockbusters. The assertion “I am because you are” reflects a concept called ‘Ubuntu’. 

It embraces the idea that humans cannot exist in isolation. We depend on connection, community and caring – simply, we cannot be without one another (Robb, 2017). To this, Desmond Tutu of South Africa, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Awards, remarked, “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” He understands that the potential of human beings working together to achieve goals is infinitely greater than that of any individual. The biblical ‘Tower of Babel’ story also affirms this fact; for God says, “Behold, the people is one…and now, nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do.” We exist because: family exists; because community exists; and because nature exists. 

The family is the basic unit in the society. It is through the merging of the cells of two different humans that another is added to humanity. In most cases, the child grows in the company of any or both of those humans (parents). And in other cases, the child grows in the midst of a set of people who did not play roles in his coming into existence. However, no one escapes childhood and wherever one spends this period is regarded as one’s family. The family constitutes a primary ecological niche which provides survival and socialization of every human. It is the platform through which culture – the lifeblood of every society, demonstrated in her way of thinking, behaving and working – is transmitted. 

Culture is a compulsory aspect of our cognitive development and the family is the first unit to inject it into us. Values and skills (from formal and informal education) are also inculcated into us by the family. Values – honesty, love, contentment and so on – are important because they help in building good relationships in personal and professional lives and in eradicating problems and vices. They also make us beneficial to the society by developing our negotiation skills and our ability to network and empathize, which can help build resolutions rather than resentments. Skills are also essential as they help us find new ways of thinking and problem-solving; teach responsibility; build confidence and develop a greater sense of appreciation for others (Macmillan, 2019). The family provides the care, maintenance, emotional support, security and spiritual shelter we need. All of which create a solid foundation upon which we can exist, grow and develop.

Family exists because the community exists. The community is a social unit with similar interests, geographical location or identity. She is a product of different families. Meanwhile, families exist because other families (the community) exist. This is because the community offers different services which are of immense benefits to the family. 

Originally, humans were nomadic hunter-gatherers. Then, people settled to a sedentary agricultural lifestyle. Excess food could be stored in warehouses and thus, people could move out of food-related occupations into other occupations. Commerce developed and the farmer bartered his agricultural products with the craftsman who made farm tools. When people live as a collective whole in a community, they need some basic protection and interaction rules for personal and collective life to be meaningful (Qwato, 2018). This led to the creation of government, law, rights and obligations.

Without these, life is meaningless and anarchic, there will be no commerce as security of properties would be lacking. But, as this is not the case, farmers produce food to people living in urban areas; scientists find out various means to increase crop production; banks lend needed money; people suffering from illnesses are treated by doctors; judges settle disagreements; engineers create needed equipment and infrastructure; teachers pass down the knowledge of different occupations to newer generations and interdependency deepens. All these services sustain the family. 

The community exists because nature exists. Nature is the phenomenon of the physical world collectively, as opposed to humans or human creations. Nature, through forests around us, cleans the air; provides oxygen; attracts rainfall and purifies water. More so, nature serves as habitat for animals, from which we derive hide, food, wool, ivory, oil and many others. She also houses minerals. But, how about knowing that nature also exists because of us? For natural systems to continue to operate at their best, people and nature work as teammates. People create policies, enforce regulations, and implement governance arrangements that serve to protect natural ecosystems and minimize negative impacts of development (Chazdon, 2018). The ecosystem uses human assistance, deliberate planning and frequent monitoring to provide better conditions for people. 

Nature needs us just as much as we need nature. In all these, we understand that the human existence is that of interdepency. We exist because the family exists. We exist because the community exists and because nature exists. We form the family; families form the community and nature continues to exist because humans preserve it. At the end, it is crystal clear that I exist because you exist. I exist because we exist. I am because you are and it is upon this basis that Erik Erikson, an American-German psychologist concluded, “Life doesn’t make any sense without interdependence. We need one another and the sooner we learn that, the better for us all.” 

References

i. Chazdon R. (2018) Nature needs people and here’s why. www.phys.org

ii. Macmillan Education Limited (2019) Why are life skills important? www.macmillanenglish.com

iii. Qwato S. (2018) Why are humans interdependent on each other? www.quora.com

iv. Robb C. (2017) Ubuntu: I Am Because You Are. www.medium.com