Hello, my name is Noluthando buthelezi from the Zulu community. This cultural heritage played a major role in the way I view things today. In this blog post, I will discuss two teachings/beliefs of my people that are part of me and have greatly influenced who I have become and how I view the world.

Since childhood, I have been taught the Zulu people's traditional culture because Zulu parents raised me. One particular lesson that still rings in my mind is the core teaching of "Ubuntu" which makes us human in other words. This concept teaches us to show love and care for our fellow human beings given that we are interconnected; hence cannot be considered as an individual without others around us. The essence of ‘ubuntu’, kindness and respect for others, further emphasizes the idea of building harmonious relationships within a society. Having been raised with Ubuntu as my guiding philosophy, it has profoundly impacted my perception of life and the world. Its provision for the importance of interpersonal relationships has taught me to appreciate the values of sympathy, comprehension, and society. This concept of Ubuntu has enabled me to understand that everyone’s deeds cascade to others and hence through my day-to-day interaction with being kind and sympathetic I promote a more united society.

Furthermore, the second teaching/belief that has shaped me is ancestral veneration. According to our traditions, it is believed that our forefathers still play vital roles in our lives by providing us with guidance and protecting us from the unseen world. Therefore, by performing daily practices, rituals, and ceremonies we maintain our connection to our ancestors and ensure that their legacy shall continue to live on and the importance of those who came before us, and their wisdom shall continue to influence our decisions. The respect for ancestors and belief in their spirit also define for me, the sense of community and continuity. It reminds us that we belong to a continuous generation line charged with the duty of receiving the past lessons and preparing a way for the future offspring. These insights have not just deepened my understanding of how life so often comes full circle but inspired me to make decisions about my life and relationships that outlast the immediate crisis by having a longer-term vision that is deeply embedded in the same values and lessons that have been handed down through generations. From this point of view, I have come to develop a deeper understanding of how past, present, and future are closely related.

In conclusion, I as look back at the teachings and beliefs of my Zulu community, I have come to appreciate how important our cultural practices are as they contain some very deep knowledge of life. Especially, the humanism of ubuntu together with worshiping ancestors form the core of my philosophy imparting such universal virtues as sympathy with others; understanding oneself as part of something bigger; limpidity toward what has already been done in history; no place among other things.