A one-of-a-kind man has died: Nelson Mandela, the father of modern South Africa, has finally passed on. He was 95 years old, and the world has been waiting for him to die for several years as we've witnessed his declining health. I join with a huge mass of people all over the world who mourn the passing of a great and good man. Mandella stood tall against racism, the apartheid system of minority white racial domination that made virtual serfs of the majority black population of the country. A blotch on the face of the world, not just the country of South Africa, this system held sway only by violence and cruelty.
Mandella fought it, at the point of his arrest he was the militant leader of the militant African National Congress (ANC). But his arrest put him out of sight and behind thick stone walls for 27 years, and during that time the man became the great man. Contemplation and solitude brought him to the realization that the only way to peace and harmony was the practice of peace and harmony, i.e., non-violent protest and the forgiveness of enemies. So this good man put both these into practice upon his release from prison and enroute to the presidency of his country. As prominent virtue always is, his actions transformed his country and made him a hero for millions.
But the racist outcry has already begun. The aspersions on the man: that he was a terrorist, a communist, a dangerous radical. Are you surprised?
No comments:
Post a Comment