Remember Mandela
The world lost a great man. The mourning for Nelson Mandela is profound and deep, as we lose possibly the last of the titans of the last generation.
I was a kid when Nelson Mandela became the president of South Africa, so I can't say that at the time I understood much of anything of the meaning behind what he accomplished. His impact was such that people all around the world knew his name and respected what he stood for.
After fighting a long and difficult struggle against oppression and intolerance, he led his nation into a democratic future. But unlike the sorrowful examples of pushes for democracy over the last century and more, he rose to power not as a vengeful leader seeking to simply supplant himself as the new head of the same old corrupt system. He sought reconciliation, strove to forgive those who once tried to oppress him and imprisoned him, and walked a path towards unity for all people of South Africa.
There are some who took to the internet to offer condolences, sympathy, and words of admiration, praise, and well wishes to Mr. Mandela's family and the people of South Africa. I would like to do so as well. Nelson Mandela was a man whose legacy measures among the likes of Martin Luther King Jr, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa. He may not have been wealthy or have invented some grand piece of technology. He wasn't some big movie star, or a great ball player. But his contribution is one that will last far longer than any of those. He was the last of a rare figure. There are not many at all left in this world like Mr. Mandela.
May he rest well with the angels, and may we all find some of his goodness within ourselves. South Africans mourn their dead through celebration. They sing and dance as they remember the things that made that person special to them, doing their best to happily see them off to heaven. We now remember Nelson Mandela.
I was a kid when Nelson Mandela became the president of South Africa, so I can't say that at the time I understood much of anything of the meaning behind what he accomplished. His impact was such that people all around the world knew his name and respected what he stood for.
After fighting a long and difficult struggle against oppression and intolerance, he led his nation into a democratic future. But unlike the sorrowful examples of pushes for democracy over the last century and more, he rose to power not as a vengeful leader seeking to simply supplant himself as the new head of the same old corrupt system. He sought reconciliation, strove to forgive those who once tried to oppress him and imprisoned him, and walked a path towards unity for all people of South Africa.
There are some who took to the internet to offer condolences, sympathy, and words of admiration, praise, and well wishes to Mr. Mandela's family and the people of South Africa. I would like to do so as well. Nelson Mandela was a man whose legacy measures among the likes of Martin Luther King Jr, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa. He may not have been wealthy or have invented some grand piece of technology. He wasn't some big movie star, or a great ball player. But his contribution is one that will last far longer than any of those. He was the last of a rare figure. There are not many at all left in this world like Mr. Mandela.
May he rest well with the angels, and may we all find some of his goodness within ourselves. South Africans mourn their dead through celebration. They sing and dance as they remember the things that made that person special to them, doing their best to happily see them off to heaven. We now remember Nelson Mandela.
Comments
Post a Comment