What Would Mandela Say Today?
A century ago a man was born who knew that things could and eventually would get better.
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, in what was then The Union of South Africa, a self-governing member of the British Commonwealth. He was born into a world where the color of his skin limited where he was permitted to live, whom he could socialize with or marry, and what work he was allowed to do. The color of his skin determined what education he was entitled to apply for and set a cap on the income he could earn. It goes without saying that no such restrictions were placed on those whose skin was white.
The vast majority of black South Africans had no access to school beyond a meager education in the early grades. They were denied the vote—not because of administrative roadblocks—but because the law explicitly denied all black South Africans that right.
He was born into a time and place where fear of the black majority had morphed into hatred. Yet Nelson Mandela believed that “no one is born hating. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.”
He believed in and practiced forgiveness and compassion. While imprisoned on Robben Island, Mandela was refused permission to attend the funeral of his young son, who was killed in an automobile accident. Had he allowed his grief to consume him, he would have become just one more failed rebel in the fight against an unjust system.
He was a pragmatist, and he learned how important it was to take advantage of opportunities when he saw them. The result was one of the smoothest transitions to democracy in history. But his pragmatism existed within the context of deeply held personal beliefs.
In too many cases, today’s leaders seem to equate pragmatism with not having any fixed ideology, as if having strong values is an impediment to getting the job of business or politics done. But we’re learning yet again that in a world without strongly held ethical values, what’s most important is the deal. Everything has a price, all interactions become transactional, and nothing is too sacred to barter or sell.
Mandela survived because he believed in basic human goodness. He did not demand respect; he simply behaved as if he was worthy of it. Perhaps it was his conviction that “love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite,” that prevented him from falling victim to hate.
In our world, love, compassion, forgiveness, and respect can seem in woefully short supply.
So what would Madiba tell us today? From his life, his writings and his actions, we can perhaps extrapolate what advice he might offer.
He would encourage us to search for the basic human goodness he saw on both sides of the aisle.
He would remind us that change is always three steps forward and two back.
He would entreat us to tell the truth, unvarnished. To always keep our promises, and not to make promises we can’t.
And he might add this.
“There’s only one way forward. The rule of law. Applied with compassion, forgiveness, and compromise. Everything else is politics as usual.” And then he might smile that broad and loving smile. “The hard part, as always, is getting close enough to the other side so that they can hear.”
Photo: AP/File