He is ninety-four years old, and
the world is not yet ready to let him go.
The hospitalization of Nelson Mandela made head-line news around world,
and people stood outside his hospital in Pretoria praying for his
recovery. Such is the magnetism of
Mandela that even at the age of ninety-four, people want and expect him to live
and be well. Few in South Africa can
imagine their country without his presence, even though he has not been
involved in political life since 2004, when he retired as President at the age
of eighty-four. The well-wishers who gathered
on the street in front of his hospital ranged from young people who were not old enough to vote
for him when he was politically active to people who waited for him through-out
his twenty-seven years of imprisonment and saw him become their President.
Nelson is
indeed an amazing man. The passionate
leader of the anti-apartheid movement was born into a South African royal
family. He attended university and went
to law school. In 1953, he and a
partner opened their law firm in downtown Johannesburg , the only African law
firm in the entire country. Their legal
services were used mostly by aggrieved Africans and most cases dealt with
police brutality. Soon, authorities
forced the lawyers to close their popular office by removing their office
permit. The forced relocation to a less prominent
location caused the decline of clients. These
were the years that saw Mandela become politically active as he led the fight
against apartheid. Throughout the
following years, Mandela was placed under several travel bans and eventually
was imprisoned for his beliefs and actions.
When
running for the office of President of South Africa, Mandela promoted peace
rather than revenge and committed to peace and reconciliation. After he won the election, Mandela presided
over the transition to a multicultural democracy from apartheid. He considered national reconciliation as his
main goal. He was the glue which held his
country together when it was going through its most difficult time.
Mandela
became a national and world-wide hero.
Along with his political convictions, what made him stand apart were his
charisma and the regal manner in which he always carried himself. No matter what life threw at him, he held on
to his dignity and pride. He won many
awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize and met with many world leaders. He brought world attention to South Africa
and the people there have never forgotten what he fought for and what he
accomplished.
So, it is
easy to understand why South Africans pray for his recovery. It is no wonder the world is not ready to say
goodbye to this man. We know the day
will come sooner than later, but we just want to have him with us for a little
longer. Acklnowledging a truly great man . . . it's a good thing!
