Ubuntu

Accomplishing anything of significance in this life is never a solo effort. I cringe when I see athletes who have just scored (pick any sport) pound their chest or turn to the crowd and hold their hand up to their ear, as if to say "go ahead, tell me again how great I am". Every achievement in my athletic or professional career can be traced back to the love, support, and investment of time that someone made in me, somewhere along the way. I am a person filled with a deep sense of joy, unconditional love and appreciation for life because of my mom. She modeled the way for me growing up. I developed a work ethic and a sense of commitment to task from my dad. Most fall weekends growing up were spent in the woods, cutting, splitting, and stacking wood to heat our house. No doubt I complained about it at the time, but it's paid dividends for me as an adult. I remember my first running partner - he was significantly faster and a bit older, but he'd run my pace on training runs and invested tremendous time and energy in me to ensure I was a successful runner in my own right. The same can be said for my first biking partner. I knew nothing about bike technique, training, or technology, but a good friend took the time to transfer his knowledge to me. He cared enough to spend several Saturday mornings riding with me instead of hanging out with his family. My first swim coach was the head of the swimming department at Camp Calumet Lutheran in New Hampshire. She believed in me and could see the lifeguard in me even before I could swim a stroke. When I finished my first Ironman in 1999, I wrote her a note thanking her for helping me realize a lifelong dream (little did she know at the time).

There's an African word which describes this concept.....it's called Ubuntu, and loosely translated it means I am because we are. People who have and share Ubuntu are open and available to others, affirming of others, do not feel threatened that others are able and good, for they have the proper self-assurance and confidence that comes from knowing that they belong to a greater whole.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu further explained Ubuntu in 2008:

"One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity."

We were designed by God to be in relationships....life was never meant to be a solo effort. We must remember that we are and we have become because of those who have cared and loved enough to invest in us along life's way. And when we truly understand the impact that those people have made upon our lives, we recognize why it's so vitally important that we take our time, talents, and gifts and invest in others.