From time to time people do great things and are recorded in history.
Nelson Mandela had no reason to forgive, nor to lead his country into an era of reconciliation - but he did and that has made him great!
What caused him to forgive, I have no idea but it is well documented that he was treated appallingly and was able to defeat any hatred that was within him.
Who can say how South Africa will progress after the tutelage of Madiba? There is a frailty in the human psyche that promotes greed and violence, which seems to be an easier path to follow than humility and peace usually at the expense of the innocent or underpowered.
Nelson Mandel's legacy is a bit different though just because the fundamental change in South Africa was through the reconciliation process. The challenges are still there but the possibilities for the nation are positive.
It is appropriate at the time of Madiba's death to reflect on the achievements of the man, but none of that would have been possible without the courage of F.W. de Klerk.
He too had vision and took a huge risk, based on the referendum among the white South Africans to break down apartheid, and to release Madiba.
There is much more to this story than I know!
The peaceful defeat of the apartheid regime gives the appearance, at least me, that it is easier to achieve resolution to conflict between race than conflict through religion - why is that?
French Forces [peacekeeper?] have gone into the Central African Republic! It is an outrage that we saw on television the corpses lying untended! The outrage being that they are corpses - through religious disharmony!
I have no idea of the issues here, but I do have empathy for those corpses and the families they belong to.
The 'scramble for Africa' by the European counties caused huge upheavals for African - the worst example has to King Leopold II in the Congo! Indigenous Africans can rightly are aggrieved.
The issue in the Central African Republic is between Africans. And you have to be careful when the fighting is because of religion. Underlying can be tribal issues, financial issues, land ownership issues or others.
But whatever the cause it is individuals that profligate the fighting.
If the fighting is because of religion, where are the leaders? Mandela promoted forgiveness and reconciliation and Christian, Islam, and most of the other religions promote the same thing! So why are they killing each other.
Mandela and de Klerk stepped up - why can't religious leaders step up and stop the killing? I'm not just talking the Central African Republic - give peace a chance!
Nelson Mandel's legacy is a bit different though just because the fundamental change in South Africa was through the reconciliation process. The challenges are still there but the possibilities for the nation are positive.
It is appropriate at the time of Madiba's death to reflect on the achievements of the man, but none of that would have been possible without the courage of F.W. de Klerk.
He too had vision and took a huge risk, based on the referendum among the white South Africans to break down apartheid, and to release Madiba.
There is much more to this story than I know!
The peaceful defeat of the apartheid regime gives the appearance, at least me, that it is easier to achieve resolution to conflict between race than conflict through religion - why is that?
French Forces [peacekeeper?] have gone into the Central African Republic! It is an outrage that we saw on television the corpses lying untended! The outrage being that they are corpses - through religious disharmony!
I have no idea of the issues here, but I do have empathy for those corpses and the families they belong to.
The 'scramble for Africa' by the European counties caused huge upheavals for African - the worst example has to King Leopold II in the Congo! Indigenous Africans can rightly are aggrieved.
The issue in the Central African Republic is between Africans. And you have to be careful when the fighting is because of religion. Underlying can be tribal issues, financial issues, land ownership issues or others.
But whatever the cause it is individuals that profligate the fighting.
If the fighting is because of religion, where are the leaders? Mandela promoted forgiveness and reconciliation and Christian, Islam, and most of the other religions promote the same thing! So why are they killing each other.
Mandela and de Klerk stepped up - why can't religious leaders step up and stop the killing? I'm not just talking the Central African Republic - give peace a chance!
