The Death Of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela has died at the age of 95. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years as a prisoner in South Africa for opposing apartheid, then emerged to become his country’s first black president. All of the major (and minor) news outlets are posting stories about his death. As usual, I have a few observations.

In the early 1970’s my parents made a business trip to South Africa. They spent time in Johannesburg and in Durban. This was during the time that Nelson Mandela was in prison. Upon returning to America they observed that South Africa was in a place very similar to where the American south was before the civil rights movement–things were very tense and there was no harmony between the white and black populations. Something was going to explode. There were some explosions, but compared to what has happened in other Africa nations, they were relatively minor. Apartheid ended in 1994 after international sanctions and negotiations between Mandela and South African President F. W. de Klerk.

What is the lesson we can learn from the life of Nelson Mandela? I think the most important lesson is the lesson of forgiveness–this man spent 27 years in jail for opposing apartheid and was able to forgive his country for the way he had been treated. Because he was able to move forward rather than dwell on the past, Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa. If more leaders followed the example of Nelson Mandela in forgiving past wrongs and wanting to do what is in the best interests of all people in his country, the world would be a very different place.

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