RIP Nelson Mandela
 

I wonder what's in store for South Africa now they have lost their leader.

The talking heads on tv are asking reporters in South Africa to judge the mood in the country.
The replys are what you might expect... too early to judge, etc.

I don't believe they have lost their leader.
I believe the mood is really "proud".
He was a truly great man, and will be proudly remembered


My life and career were actually changed by the man,
... even though I have never been to South Africa.
When a colleague of mine said she was going to take her sabbatical leave in Johannesburg,
I actually questioned why she would want to use her training to help the apartheid government.
She went, and a year later we had several coffee-conversations about her experiences there.
As the early 90's went by, we saw this man peacefully change his country.

It changed me too, and had a lot to do with my ideals and values today.

The situation in SA was like the background of my childhood in that i grew up watching this man change a nation. When i was little i didnt understand what he was doing, but as i grew up i was humbled by this mans peaceful determination. I have shed tears for the loss of him. The world is a darker place now his light has gone out.

The world isn't darker.

It's brighter because he was in it and his legacy lives on. South Africa didn't fall back into apartheid when he died.

He was, and will remain, such an inspiration. I understand your tears and sense of loss, Ali - and at the same time I marvel at all he did - how he chose dignity, forgiveness, and reconciliation in the process of bringing freedom out of oppression. His legacy lies in the realization that each of us can internalize the strength and wisdom he demonstrated and apply it to our own lives.

Glatt, its not just about what he did for SA. Right to the very end his words were an inspiration. Now there will be no more. Thats why i feel the world is darker; has lost someone amazing. Say it however you like.

People have said he is the most outstanding man of the 20th century. I dont know if thats true. I do know that he influenced my life more than ghandi (as an example).

A sad loss. I felt really choked up when the news broke.

But: his death was not unexpected. It did not occur at a young age. His words and his ability to inspire continue on, because that is the legacy he has left. He is not lost to the world, and the light he brought has not gone out.

I like this sentiment.

Nelson Mandela lived long enough and through enough hardship to become the statesman he was supposed to be. His later restraint and forgiveness are admirable considering the cruel and illogical political system he survived.

But the ANC were a terrorist organisation.
They were murderers. There are no "fair targets" off the battlefield. Civilian casualties can be justified, but only with double-think, and they always lie uneasily in their graves.

On balance I do believe Mandela was a force for good, a man who prevented far more bloodshed in later life than was spilled by his leadership in early life. Of course.

I don't rejoice in his death in any way.
I feel he lived a long and influential life and used it to benefit the wider world, so we can celebrate his life rather than mourn his passing.

Perhaps it's better not to be a visionary early in life.
Those who preach peace, love and understanding early on rarely get their full span of years.

Even Jesus was a nobody until his 30's. Its takes time and plenty of mistakes to become a leader.