The death of Nelson Mandela last week was a sad event that has moved many people around the world in different ways. I consider myself fortunate enough to have witnessed part of his struggle growing up, in a limited capacity, through books and news stories. There are countless characteristics that we can all aim to possess as well as Mandela did, including courage, strength, passion, love and dedication to name a few.
Of all the valuable lessons the life of Mandela has taught, faith is the one that has reached me the most.
When I say that faith is a trait in Mandela that we should all aim to emulate, I mean faith in more than the religious or spiritual sense. The faith that Mandela displayed throughout the arduous journey that was his life was more than a spiritual faith: it was a faith in humanity; a faith in love; faith in justice, and a faith in himself that led Mandela to experiencing such a fulfilling and meaningful life in the face of such adversity.
Having been incarcerated for more than 25 years didn’t break the man’s faith. Only Mandela knows how much it might have bent but the strength of that faith allowed him to see what is good about humanity. Faith allowed him to dream of a country where apartheid was not the law of the land. Faith allowed him to endure the injustice of being restricted of his limited liberties in a country where he had little freedom. Faith allowed him to keep anger, hate and resentment out of his soul allowing him to envision a future where these were just words rather than feelings toward fellow human beings.
Some people are committed to a career, to themselves or to their families. Very few people are committed to leading the fight for the oppressed. When many tried and gave up because of threats, violence and incarceration, Mandela pushed harder. He sat in a prison for almost a third of his life, mostly as a young adult, and came out just as committed to his cause as the day he went in. If we could all have at least half of that faith in ourselves, in humanity and in the love necessary to make this world a better place, we will keep Mandela’s legacy alive.
