Roméo Dallaire: I have an idea for how to fix our violent, tribal world | Jeff Harti

Words of wisdom, challenge, and hope from The Peace: A Warrior's Journey by Roméo Dallaire, as quoted in the Toronto Star: "Humanism defined the Renaissance, eradicated the old order and transformed art, politics and religion. But it also led, like an arrow’s flight, to an individualism that became the cornerstone of industrialization, capitalism and colonialism. In our era of revolutions, nothing is clearer than the need for us to reconnect to each other, in all our humanity, and to the Earth. We are at the point of such existential risk that we need to abandon self-interest. That era has failed all but the one per cent, and they are failing the rest of us every day. Our nuances and differences can be, and need to be, respected and celebrated. But to thrive we must move forward without friction and competition. This is a level of unity I believe we haven’t even perceived yet, but it is the only thing that will permit us to reinforce our ensemble, find the positives in our differences, and prevent conflict before it happens... Cultures with long enough histories all seem to create words to describe oneness among humans — the ties that bind us to each other and the planet. The national motto of Rwanda includes the Kinyarwanda word ubumwe, which means “unity” (umoja in Swahili). The Celtic word céile can refer to husband and wife, or an enemy in battle, both instances of people bound to each other. 五伦 (or Wu lun in Mandarin pinyin) refers to fundamental relationships in society, while asabiyyah is an Arabic concept of solidarity and cohesion in society, co-operation for the public good. German Mensch means “human being,” which in Yiddish gained the specifically positive characteristics of ethical integrity and moral rightness. The Zulu word ubuntu grew from the phrase umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (“a person is a person because of other people”). Justice Yvonne Mokgoro of South Africa describes ubuntu as encompassing “group solidarity, compassion, respect, human dignity, conformity to basic norms and collective unity; in its fundamental sense it denotes humanity and morality.” A Black constitutional lawyer and apartheid-era activist, Mokgoro explains that the spirit of ubuntu “emphasizes respect for human dignity, marking a shift from confrontation to conciliation.” #Peace #Unity #Oneness #Reconnection #Earth #Humans #FoodForThought #Giubuntu #RandomMusings