Let’s look at the issues

The array of world leaders that journeyed to South Africa this week was a great tribute to Nelson Mandela. The biggest tribute of all, however, would be if these same world leaders learned to exercise the same ideals that Mandela did. He was a man of peace. He was a symbol of hope. He was the definition of reconciliation.

Perhaps President Obama said it best. Recalling that his first involvement in political activity was an anti-apartheid rally, Obama said, “It took a man like Madiba (Mandela’s clan name) to free not just the prisoner but the jailer as well.”

It really was a powerful lesson. Nelson Mandela taught each of us when he forgave all after he was released from 27 years of unjustified prison confinement.

It says a lot when someone can be so strong in example that he can beneficially change another. But in Nelson Mandela’s case, he was so strong in example he beneficially changed the world — the entire world!
New York’s Senator Charles Schumer described Mandela’s example as eloquently as anyone this week: “When you lead by moral majesty, the walls come tumbling down.”

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said, “His life was just an extraordinary journey, from beginning to end, with such an effect, both on his own country and on the rest of the world. We may not see his like again.”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “Mr. Mandela was more than one of the greatest pillars of our time. He was one of our greatest teachers. He sacrificed so much for freedom and equality, for democracy and justice.”

At the memorial service in Johannesburg that celebrated the life, the lessons and the leadership of Nelson Mandela, citizens of South Africa lined up to tell the Western media that their lives would not be what they are if not for him.

And while the famous and the not-so-famous had marvelous words to remember Nelson Mandela’s life, we think some words of his own are most appropriate in expressing appreciation for what he did for the world.
When asked why he continued to believe that the seemingly hopeless battle to eliminate apartheid would end in victory, he said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” He added, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

When things were looking particularly weak for blacks in South Africa, Mandela explained his optimism about ending apartheid this way: “No one is born hating another person because of the color 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.”

In his fight on behalf of others Mandela defined courage in a way that is unique yet poignant. He said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela never gave up that fight because he firmly believed that perseverance would win out in the end. “I am fundamentally an optimist,” he said. “Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair.”

At the memorial service held on December 10, Ban Ki-moon again spoke, saying, “Nelson Mandela showed the awesome power of forgiveness — and of connecting people with each other and with the true meaning of peace. That was his unique gift, and that was the lesson he shared with all of humankind. He has done it again. Look around this stadium and this stage; we see leaders representing many points of view and people from all walks of life. All here, all united!”

The news of Nelson Mandela’s death saddened not only South Africa but every corner of the globe. Yet the memorial service had more of an air of celebration than mourning. That’s because he leaves us with a much better world than the one he was born into. He leaves us lessons that should never be forgotten. He leaves us with a spirit of optimism for the future. He leaves us with the hope that perhaps all countries of the world will someday agree that far more can be accomplished through reconciliation than through confrontation.

Nelson Mandela’s was an extraordinary life. He leaves a world that will forever be deeply grateful to him.