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Old 12-07-2013, 12:48 PM   #9
Sundae
polaroid of perfection
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 24,185
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.
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