My older sister was born in 1984, twenty two years after Mandela was arrested for conspiracy to overthrow the state and five years before his release from Robben Island. Many believed in Mandela's abilities to change South Africa, and the world, for the better. My Mum was one of them, and she gave my sister the middle name of Mandela to commemorate his revolutionary views and his passion to fight for a good cause.
Throughout my life I have learnt through my parents to follow in the footsteps of people like Mandela, who have the means to escape from the chains of society and help everyone else to break free. Mandela's death should be mourned, and his life should be celebrated; but we should also learn from his mistakes as a human being, his anger, his forgiveness, his willingness to see the good side in all and not to condemn people who had committed terrifying acts as "evil".
If you didn't learn anything from Mandela while he was alive, learn something now. Forgive people who have wronged you, ask for forgiveness for those you have wronged, let go of any hatred and prejudice you are holding on to and find something to love in everybody.
May Mandela Live On.
Ruby
That is exactly the quality about Mandela that I most admire, his commitment to truth and reconciliation. Showing the world that by acknowledging the wrong doing, allowing victims the chance to express the hurt that was done to them and the perpetrators the opportunity to seek and receive forgiveness, in a country rife with atrocities, he gave the world a priceless gift. A model of how to terminate the endless cycles of violent revenge we see across time and our continents, an ignorant perpetuation of crime, poverty, disease and a tragic waste of human life which is precious. Always. Thank you for such a moving tribute Ruby xxx
ReplyDeletebeautiful, I g+, tweeted & liked!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this! He really was an inspiration and his life will be celebrated everyday through his legacy. It breaks my heart that a lot of people don't really know who he is.
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