Once again the world is a sadder place because Nelson Mandela has passed away. Nelson Mandela was one of those leaders that seemed to transcend the idea of what a leader should. A leader take charge, inspire, be courageous, wise, merciful, just, confident in his/ways, take initiative, be bold. He embodied all this qualities but what made Nelson Mandela a true leader was his humanness. He had his flaws like everyone else and perhaps that what made him so great. He embrace those flaws, accepted them as part of who he was. We live in an age where our leaders try to make themselves larger than life. They use the media as a way to puff themselves up. Our contemporary leaders seem to forget what the qualities of true leader, preferring the safer path. Nelson Mandela took the dangerous path which, at times, nearly cost him his life. He stood up to an apartheid government and demanded that black Africans be granted full equality before the laws of man and the universe. For this he and his family were jailed, threatened, and beaten. He stood up to members of his own African National Congress when they wanted to abandon the path of nonviolence. He spent decades on Robben Island, locked away from the world, yet never giving up hope at a peaceful end to the vile racist government. He taught the world what forgiveness is all about. Despite all of the physical and emotional torture he was put through, Nelson Mandela forgave those who wronged him and embraced them as a gesture of reconciliation. The world is sadder and colder today. If we learned anything from Nelson Mandela is that true leader is not only wise, just, and merciful but also knows how to forgive and unite bitter enemies. Rest in peace Madiba, your long walk to freedom is over.
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