Nelson Mandela - comments of what his life meant to you (page 2)

skeeter1

I always smile when I see his face. He has such a wonderful face and smile, and I think that comes from deep inside of him.

Skeeter

144001

I'll be honest; no, his life and achievements meant nothing to me personally, because they had no effect on my life. My life was neither improved nor harmed by anything he did.

cofty

My life was neither improved nor harmed by anything he did

When apartheid ended the world became a better place.

jgnat

My best prayers for South Africa, the nation and its people, through this difficult time.

I felt most like a world citizen when the Berlin Wall fell, and the end of apartheid. I wept for joy. I was surprised how these events a world away affected me so profoundly. Injustice anywhere is a burden on all of humanity.

Band on the Run

The New York Times has a long article (obit?) at its website. I read the lead article. The reporter brought out details of his failures and his years of violence. It was a balanced assessment. It seems that in America we just saw Mandela as a one dimensional heroic icon. South African politics is complicated. The New York Times is partly at fault. I don't recall any sustained, detailed coverage. Perhaps it was present and I failed to read b/c South Africa is not one of my interests. Apartheid struck me as unjust. I am glad that I finished the piece. Does it seem to others that in the past the ANC was covered in a neutral way and then in recent years the ANC became synonymous with virtue.

Of course, what do you say for apartheid? There was no justification. It was strange how corporations tolerated it so shortly after WWII and the Nazis. If anyone else reads the piece, I would be interested in your comments.

South Africa must bring in more economic development. I don't know anything about why corporations are reluctant to invest in Africa.

Oubliette

Speaking of the legacy of Nelson Mandela, Mac Maharaj said, "Learn that life is not made up of straight victories, it is made up of mistakes, zig-zags, stumblings, picking yourself up and dusting off the dirt … and walking again forward."

Fernando

A great deal.

I hope to learn more about what gave him the power to do what most of us would find impossible.

designs

South Africa has made progress since Mandela's presidency but it has a long way to go. They have political and cultural fights that slow progress and they need to address basic services like clean running water, 25% of Africans do not have running water compared to 6% of the small white population. HIV/AIDS was a terrible problem, 28% of pregnant women had HIV. Cronyism in politics was pushing them toward a Zimbabwe model.

We know a thing or two about political and governmental dysfunction and should not wag our finger and say we're better. We could use one of Mandela's inspiring speeches right about now.

Seraphim23

To me he is another along the lines of Christ who to me started it and Ghandi and so on, who seemed to have taught and demonstrated that wars against injustice are best fault with the most powerful weapon of all, forgiveness of enemies and the ability to take the blows of others with grace. Wars hurt but these people fight to take the blows themselves, so others do not have to.

Forgiveness, self-sacrifice and a new definition of passive resistance that is not passive but can defeat knives, tanks, and bombs while actually reducing the number of causalities that would result with the conventional emotional weapons evolutionary history has equipped humanity with instinctively.The defeat of fear!

Nelson Mandela - comments of what his life meant to you