"Mandela Will Never Die!"-by Fr. Cedric Prakash sj
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– Fr. Cedric Prakash sj
Nelson Mandela is no more! And hopefully, Mandela will never
die!
The Mandela era finally came to an end last night (Dec. 5th
2013)-and its time for all of us to reflect on what this one man has contributed
towards making our world a more human and harmonious place.
When one looks back at the struggles he faced as a child, as
a youth and later on as an elder statesman, one is simply amazed by the sheer
grit and determination which characterised one of the contemporary world’s
greatest figures. A large part of Mandela’s life was spent in isolation during
his life sentence in the infamous Robben Island Jail. The torture he was
subjected to would make any mortal give up, but with his' never-say-die'
spirit, Mandela finally came out to freedom and to a new world in 1990; a
few years later, he became the first democratically elected President of South
Africa.
His extraordinary life teaches us three key lessons:
·
if the spirit is strong- it will ultimately
triumph, despite the powers and vested interests doing everything to subjugate
one.
·
the belief that a non-violent struggle is the
only and sure way to achieve results – something he learnt from Mahatma Gandhi.
·
divisiveness of any kind ( particularly racism)
definitely has no place in a world which is becoming more and more a globalised
village. Mandela believed that every human being is created in the image and
likeness of God and though we are
different in several ways, we are all equal.
At this moment much is being written and debated about Mandela’s
legacy to the 20th & 21st century. The hard fact
however remains that despite being an icon and an inspiration for millions
across the world several parts continue to be ravaged with violence, hatred and
divisiveness.
Let us take Gujarat
in India, for example, which gave to the world Mahatma Gandhi – one of the
greatest apostles of non-violence. If one is a Muslim in Gujarat today, one is
confined to specific ghettos or areas across the State. This is sadly evident
in the commercial capital Ahmedabad, where a Muslim finds it impossible to buy
or rent a house or a commercial establishment in the Western up-market part of
the city. The tragedy is that the institutionalisation of this practice is very
easily accepted by the majority community. In a State which projects itself as ‘vibrant’ this is a blatant form of
apartheid indeed!
Mandela fought against the segregation of the blacks in his
native South Africa. He had to endure much because of this but then as history
shows us, truth ultimately triumphed over falsehood. He is someone to be
emulated. His unflagging spirit gave him the courage to speak truth to power; he did not care about the consequences that
followed. What mattered most for him was that all men and women – whether black
or white, rich or poor, should be able to live together, walk hand-in-hand and
work side-by-side, accepting always the dignity of the other. The great thing
about Mandela was his ability not to harbour any rancour or revenge for his
white oppressors. He forgave unconditionally and that is why he was able to
usher in a new South Africa with a hope of a better future.
The world has truly lost one of its greatest sons! As we join in the mourning
-the best way to pay tribute to 'Madiba'
is to "celebrate" the fact that he gave SO MUCH to this world-It is therefore important that each one of us wherever we are, try to do our
best to realise his vision,to continue the legacy he has left us- in the simple,
small ordinary events of our daily life.
And if we sincerely
do so- Mandela will never die!
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