A Tribute to Nelson Mandela

A collection of some YouTube videos, as well as thoughts and writings on the great man,- who has inspired many of my writings from "the beloved country". What one man (or person) can do with a noble cause... one far bigger than oneself! A tribute to the symbolic presence of dignity and strength."One man* can make a difference."- Robert Kennedy* or rather 'person' in today's world"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or...
More Description

A collection of some YouTube videos, as well as thoughts and writings on the great man,- who has inspired many of my writings from "the beloved country". What one man (or person) can do with a noble cause... one far bigger than oneself! A tribute to the symbolic presence of dignity and strength."One man* can make a difference."- Robert Kennedy* or rather 'person' in today's world"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others."- John F Kennedy"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.- Martin Luther King, Jr (1929-1968, American Black Leader, Nobel Prize Winner, 1964)"Violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul."So eulogises Robert Kennedy after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr in April 1998.Just started putting together my writings (in the form of a collection of my various articles) on Madiba, so thought I'd share. Thank you sincerely what you have done for South Africa...and the world. This is for you, an icon of reconciliation and the pursuit of freedom and ultimate peaceMay we all aspire to your immense generosity of spirit, 'Madiba' (his Xhosa clan name)Enjoycraig 29th July in the year 2013 * * "Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts."- Nelson Mandela"Peace is the greatest weapon for development, that any people can have."- Madiba"One year after his inaugeration as State President in 1994 , talking of the challenges South Africa faced, Mandela said: 'We as a nation are engaged in ongoing debate in our country on how to give freedom of expression real meaning. If this is to be the case, people should not only have the right to hear what others say, but also themselves be heard. Only in this way can they become active participants in changing their lives for the better.' Changing lives for the better was always going to be a difficult, almost impossible task. He had inherited a county torn by decades of strife and death, with more than half of the 40 million + population lacking electricity or workable sewage, 12 million with no clean water supplies and a third being illiterate.Nelson Mandela may not have achieved all his goals during his five-year tenure in office, but hr tried and he made a start. It is now up to others to ensure that they can fulfil Nelson Mandela's vision for his South Africa. It's to be hoped that they have the same commitment that he did.""Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?Actually, who are you not to be?You are a child of God.Your playing small does not serve the world.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking;so that other people won't feel insecure around you.We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciouslygive other people permission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear,our presence automatically liberates others."- Marianne WilliamsonI love these words from Marianne Williamson as used by Nelson Mandela in his inaugeration speech as State President at South Africa's first Democratic Election in 1994. I have admired and respected 'Madiba' for many years - for his "immense generosity of spirit", graciousness and the nobility of his unique spirit of reconciliation". And I have added a few lines of my own...