Nelson Mandela

In the death of Nelson Mandela, there is no question that we lost a great man.  The testaments from world leaders attest to the respect he was held in around the world.  What an extraordinary life he lived!

I particularly liked the tribute by Bill Clinton who likened Mandela to Mahatma Ghandi, the great liberator of India.  And it makes sense since both men hated violence and preached non-violence as the way to change the world.  One should also note that Ghandi also got his start in southern Africa as a young lawyer.  What a wonderful way to be remembered – as a man of peace. 

I think what most impressed me about Nelson Mandela was the fact that he always seemed to be smiling.  It was not a staged smile – it was a lovely, warm, benign smile.  It was a smile that attracted people.  You could imagine that it was the kind of smile that Jesus would have had. 

The most amazing thing about the man was that he did not get out of prison and start his transformation of South Africa until he was 72 years old. 72!!  Can you imagine it?  Most of us are happy to sit back at that age and rest on our (questionable) laurels.  Can you think of the unlikely possibility of a party leader or presidential candidate being selected at that age in North America or Europe?  But he became President of South Africa at the age of 76. 

But his greatest gift to his country and to the world was his determination that there would be no violence in the transition of his country after the horrors of apartheid.  Can you imagine being imprisoned for 27 years and not coming out with a heart full of resentment, if not down-right hatred? But instead he emerged with a determination to seek truth and reconciliation that became a model that the rest of the world needs to take heed of and try to emulate.  Do you suppose that F. W. deKlerke, the last white President of South Africa, knew what he was doing when he released Mandela in 1990?  Perhaps he realized that apartheid had to end, but to do so he had to find a black leader who could command the respect of the black people and allow a peaceful transition to take place.  If so, he truly deserves the Nobel Peace Prize he shared with his successor.

We have enough violence in the world, which doesn’t seem to solve anything.  We have to give peaceful reconciliation a chance.  We have to listen to the men of peace and try to follow their example.  One commentator said that there will never be another like Nelson Mandela.  I sincerely hope that the commentator is wrong.  I really hope that there are a lot more Nelson Mandelas in this troubled world.

God bless you Nelson Mandela.