Starting in the afternoon today, there was non stop television reporting about the death and life of Nelson Mandela, the bravest, greatest and most admired hero of our time.
We always remember exactly when we are when we hear of something really important happens. Though a very young girl at the time, I still remember where I was clearly when Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon and later when Kennedy was reported assassinated.
I was shopping for grocery in a neighbourhood supermarket and people were talking about Mandela's death.
Mandela was the son of a chief, the first to attend school in his family. He was a boxer, a lawyer, a revered hero, a father of a nation.
Due to his fight against apartheid, Mandela was imprisoned for twenty seven years by the South African government. He was released on Feb 11, 1990.
From a prisoner to have become the first black president of South Africa, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize to becoming a global icon of courage and statesman, championing for human rights and equality, Mandela was an extraordinary human being, courageous, compassionate, peaceful and a man of high principle.
Instead of being revengeful and seeking justice for wrongfully imprisoned for twenty seven years, Mandela turned the other cheek like Jesus did and advocated racial reconciliation with the oppressor.
Canadians admired him greatly and Canada had a special connection with Mandela who paid three visits to this country. In 1984, the Canadian government fought Margaret Thatcher against the idea of apartheid and lent its support to Mandela's fight.
In June of 1990, he came first to Canada shortly after his release from prison and received a hero's welcome from Canadians.
Mandela was a honorary Canadian. In 1998, he was awarded the Order of Canada, the highest honour given to a Canadian. He was the first foreign leader presented with this prestigious award.
There is a school in downtown Toronto named in his honour. Students in the Nelson Mandela Public School have the honour of learning about him, his belief and his fight against injustice.
Mandela did have one regret in his life. He said he should have worked harder against AIDS as he lost a son to AIDS in 2005.
Throughout the day, Canadian leaders paid tributes to this great man, and most remembered him as:
" A man with a mind closed to settling any score after twenty seven years imprisonment."
" A man with a complete absence of malice against those who imprisoned him."
" His capacity to forgive inspired us all."
The death of Nelson Mandela is a lost for all humanity; he was and will be an inspiration to generations to come. He will be remembered along the great leaders as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and as President Obama summed it up, " He now belongs to the ages.".
R.T.
Toronto
December 5, 2013
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