“A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good.” — Desmond Tutu
Grief can make the world feel smaller. The loss of a child often turns the heart inward. Pain builds a wall around the soul. Many grieving parents isolate themselves, not because they want to, but because connection feels impossible. The weight of sorrow can blur the presence of others. The spirit of ubuntu offers another way. Ubuntu reminds us that humanity is shared. Even when we hurt, we still belong to one another. Even when broken, we can still be present for someone else’s healing.
Ubuntu invites the grieving to remain open. That openness may feel impossible. Some days, it may take all our strength to show up at all. But grief can also expand the soul. The sorrow that wounds us can also connect us. A grieving parent understands what comfort really means. That understanding becomes a gift. Affirming others does not diminish our pain. Celebrating someone else’s strength does not weaken our own. Ubuntu teaches that strength grows when shared. Grief becomes lighter when we walk beside each other.
The temptation to retreat is real. The world may seem to move on while we remain frozen in place. But within community, we find meaning. When we hold space for someone else, we are reminded that our own pain matters too. Ubuntu is not perfection. Ubuntu is presence. The wounded can still be kind. The grieving can still uplift. Affirming others becomes an act of survival. Choosing to see goodness in others is choosing to stay connected to life. That connection sustains us.
Thought for today: Embrace the spirit of ubuntu. Your broken heart still holds the power to affirm and connect.