In Celebration of the life of Nelson Madiba Mandela

Tata Nelson Madiba Mandela 1918 — 2013

Over the past few days, since the passing of Nelson Mandela, I have come across a vast array of reactions to his death, and two distinct opinions as to what kind of a man he was. Some think that he was an iconic figure and world leader, whilst others think that he was a terrorist. In fact it emerged that he was only removed from the United States terrorism list about 10 years ago, apparently having been left on this list as an oversight.

But what exactly is a terrorist? I guess the definition depends on which side you are. If you're part of a government/organisation that is trying to quell unrest as a result of unfair treatment of citizens, then you might call someone in Mandela's position a terrorist. If you're one of those that is being treated unfairly you might call Mandela a freedom fighter or hero. So basically if someone is fighting for something in alignment with your ideals, then you're likely to call that person a hero rather than a terrorist. And it's worth pointing out that, often the people who call others terrorists ignore their own atrocities in the situation. The old adage that one man's meat is another man's poison is therefore very true.

It's ironic that the passing of Nelson Mandela happened at a time that I'm trying to highlight an issue that is pertinent to the life and times of his sacrifices and vision in my previous post.

In celebration of Mandela's life I will outline why I think he is a global icon, using some of his many inspirational quotes.

"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison." — Nelson Mandela

For me this is one of most inspiring and most relevant of his quotes. It is the foundation of all that he stood for and tried to achieve in his lifetime. Consider the last time someone, known or unknown, did something that adversely affected you or your loved ones. If it was severe or unfair enough you might have had feelings of revenge or payback welling up in your being, if only for a moment at least. If you are lucky the feelings usually dissipate with time because you can let go and carry on with your life. Now imagine sitting in prison for 27 years with that feeling stewing in every sinew in your body.

Mandela realised that this feeling of unforgiveness and resentment could eat away at the very core of his being and instead decided to focus on gratitude, forgiveness and unity. His vision for unity extended to his former captors and oppressors, and indeed the vision was for the whole world. His vision was for a rainbow nation, where there is appreciation of the past, present and future, appreciation of the differences in others of a different race, skin colour, gender, ethnic origin... you name it.

"No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never explained." — Nelson Mandela

Mandela also realised that even his own people had learned to hate, and even if they thought they had a right to hate for all the oppression they suffered, continued hate would eat away at the very fabric of the society he envisioned. Perhaps his own people even expected him to retaliate for all the injustices they had suffered, now that he was in power. Instead he decided to lead his nation down a road of reconciliation rather than revenge. That sounds easy, but try spending 27 years held captive by your oppressors before making that kind of decision. The vision of this enlightened decision has not been fully realised yet and it is up to the new generation of young South Africans to make this a reality, for the generation now at the helm are making decisions based upon the past rather than for the future.

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead." — Nelson Mandela

Mandela's life was not his own or that of his family and loved ones. He made that sacrifice for the betterment of other people. Whether he knew it or not before he was sentenced to prison, it was certainly apparent when he was now in a position of power. His 'long walk to freedom' was always about standing up for the rights of the disadvantaged, poor and needy. He wanted to alleviate human suffering, not just from a political standpoint in terms of oppression, but to alleviate suffering because of lack of education, poverty, sicknesses and other causes worldwide. His life and death in this day, and forevermore, will be significant because he touched the lives of many in his words and deeds. And he will continue to touch the lives of many with the legacy he leaves. Perhaps it is a good time for the people who he helped to liberate and inspire to reflect upon what kind of legacy they would like to leave behind.

"I'm not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying." — Nelson Mandela

Many blame Mandela for the bombings and subsequent death of people during the uprising against apartheid and that is why they do not hold him in high esteem. But I'm often amazed at how such people ignore the atrocities that were happening and resulting in death during and because of apartheid. It's as if they think that such things were only right when they were committed in the defense of apartheid. Believe me I'm not condoning violence and murderous acts by anyone, but in as much as we might not like it, sometimes it is necessary to literally fight for one's freedom and survival, and be prepared to die in that cause. That is a fact of life and like many, I wish that was not the case, especially when innocent people die as a result of those actions. I don't know if Mandela was directly responsible for the bombings that occured but what I know is that his rebellious nature is what led him to speak out openly against the apartheid regime, subsequently leading to his imprisonment.

On a lighter note about Mandela's rebelliousness, apparently he used to purposefully evade his security personnel and go off to do his own thing or have a bit of fun (freedom) on his own. He risked his safety, perhaps because he was sick of being constantly under guard, even in freedom.

He would also not let others make his bed even as president, perhaps because no one could make his bed as 'perfectly' as he could.

Mandela realised that he was not perfect even when others tried to portray him as such and was humble enough to state that fact.

"Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do." — Nelson Mandela

I conclude with this particular quote because, although he might have been talking about his passion to see a country and a world where there is no domination over another, I see it as applying to every area of one's life, whether it's in entrepreneurship or business, poverty alleviation, relationships, leadership, spirituality, indeed anything one attempts to do in one's life. And this is the true legacy that South Africans and the world must follow. Far too many African politicians and leaders make empty promises to get elected and then forget why they were elected. Indeed these empty promises, as well as the mentality that they will be handed success on a platter, causes many Africans to be frustrated and adopt a 'serve thyself' or 'take for thyself' attitude. As a result many social ills such as crime, corruption bad governance arise as pointed out by Shane van Rensburg in my previous article. Simply put, Mandela advocated service, passion and responsibility as a means to rise out of dire circumstances to success.

God bless you Tata Madiba, Nelson Mandela.

What are some of your favourite Mandela quotes and how have they inspired you?

For more on the kind of work that still needs to be done in South Africa and indeed the world, I refer you to an issue which I thought was worth highlighting on this blog post: http://gratefulodyssey.blogspot.com/2013/11/theres-still-so-much-to-be-done-to-make.html

Be blessed always and in all ways,
Sam Maramba