Lessons from Prisoner 46664
Howard Stribbell, Head of School
This week the world lost one of its heros. Nelson Madiba Mandela changed the course of South Africa and influenced nations and people around the globe. His incredible journey from political activist to prisoner 46664 to President of South Africa is one rich with personal lessons for each of us.
Nelson Mandela’s life, struggles and victories should teach us a few things:
– revolution must begin with forgiveness
– strength is demonstrated better through grace and self control than through violence
– the passion of youth is made stronger when tempered by adversity and discipline
– we must embrace our differences. There is no “us” versus “them”, there is only “us”.
– true freedom sets both the prisoner and the captor free
Teach your children about Nelson Mandela. Remind them of the pain and suffering that racism has caused in the past that we might not revisit it in the future. At his memorial service, US President Barack Obama compared Nelson Mandela to Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. The world may have lost a hero this week, but his legacy will live on.
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Nelson Mandela, April 20, 1964