Happy Nelson Mandela Day !

Yesterday was Nelson Mandela Day….I salute and thank you for your contribution to this world and my life.

Madiba had a big influence on my life. I’m South African so he was not a distant figure in some faraway world…he was someone I grew up in the news on a regular basis. I eventually witnessed his release in 1994…and with that his incredibly positive influence on all South Africans, and the world.

He was a man who brought us all together and gave us hope, we saw ourselves as a miraculous rainbow nation, we won the world cup rugby (1995) and for a while, SA was flying high. He had so many complex issues to deal with, so many old dumbarse mindsets …conservatives and radicals alike….he was a breath of fresh air, not only for SA but for the world. I am not someone who has heroes but Mr Mandela is amongst a handful of people I regard with great respect and admiration to this very day.

From my perspective the biggest thing he taught me was the power (and importance) of forgiveness…it sets you free in so many ways…you have to genuinely become a better person to move through bitterness and anger…it is one of the hardest things to do (and I still struggle)….and not doing it is the cause of so much deeply hurtful suffering worldwide…wars, feuds, racism etc…it feeds a cycle of destruction. If Madiba could forgive then so can you and I, work at it…it will…