Ubuntu and Non Sibi

An email I received in response to my last post about ubuntu reminded me of the philosophy of non sibi, a core value of Phillips Exeter Academy. My wife works at Exeter and my son recently graduated after four successful years there. Several members of Christ Church are faculty, staff, parents, or students. In that sense, Exeter has had a profound influence on the life of my family and community.

As explained on the Exeter website, non sibi is included in the school's seal (I've put the seal here, though it is hard to see the words): "Across the sun, symbolizing the rising sun over the sea of knowledge, is 'Non Sibi, or 'Not for Oneself,' testifying to the philosophy at Exeter that the wisdom gained here should be used for others as well as for oneself."

We live in a world too often defined by the "Bernie Madoff's" of society, those who seek only their own gain at the expense of others. We need more non sibi practiced in society, more people who think not only of themselves but they take seriously the idea that "the wisdom gained here should be used for others . . ."

I think one of the reasons I have found General Convention so uninteresting in the past is that so much of what happens there seems disconnected from life in the world and in the congregation. In many ways, it seems like a lot of "navel gazing," an internal focus on the church and the church's agenda without a real sense of focus on how we live out the call to share the compassion, peace, grace, and love of Jesus with the world.

Perhaps ubuntu can help us to reshape our understanding of community, give us a new vision of who we can be, so that we can be a part of reshaping the world to conform more closely to God's desires for creation. Perhaps we can learn from other communities, such as Exeter, so that we can consider not the church's agenda for itself but God's agenda for the world.

What might the world look like if we live by ubuntu and non sibi? I hope the wisdom gained from General Convention can be used for others as well as for ourselves.