Simple people can live big lives
As a young herd boy looking after the sheep and calves in
the grassy hills of Qunu, Rolihlahla Mandela could scarcely have imagined that
he would become one of the most celebrated leaders of our time. There must have
been many times when his humble rural roots would have served as the perfect
excuse for not rising up to a challenge. And yet, each time he rose, guided by
his unrelenting resolve and integrity. The environmental challenge requires
each of us to rise beyond our own perceived limitations of ourselves.
Being a ‘trouble maker’ is okay!
Translated colloquially, Nelson Mandela’s birth name,
Rolihlahla, means ‘trouble maker’. In choosing this name, his father would have
had no idea that this boy would throughout his life revel in challenging the status quo, and go on to lead one of
greatest social revolutions of our time. But, even after he became the
president of South Africa, he continued to challenge mainstream thinking. His
decision to don the Springbok rugby jersey, considered a symbol of apartheid
South Africa, during the 1995 Rugby World Cup flew in the face of his advisors.
And yet, this became a masterstroke in uniting a fragile country trying to heal
deep wounds.
Sacrifice comes with the territory
Now I am not advocating that any one of us should have to
spend 27 years in prison for our cause or that we should swop our comfortable
offices for the hell of a limestone quarry. Resilience of that magnitude is
reserved for very special people. The point here is simply that: The environmental cause will not always be an
easy walk in the park… Achieving great things requires commitment and sacrifice.
Things will not always go our way, and sometimes we need to dig deep and be ready for the hard slog.
Don’t fall in love with your tactics…
When a comparison was drawn between the South African
freedom struggle and Ghandi’s ‘peaceful resistance’; Mandela was clear he
considered ‘peaceful resistance’ to be a tactic and not an unwavering ideology.
The decision to move beyond ‘peaceful protest’ was an extremely complex and
difficult decision for the African National Congress. But ultimately, for Mandela,
appropriate tactics are chosen based on their context and their ability to
deliver the outcome. And changing tactics is also okay…
Never be intimidated by your goals
In reflecting back on the enormity of the challenge that he
and his compatriots overcame, Mandela remarked: “It always seems impossible,
until it’s done”. These words should give us great strength every time our
efforts seem so small against the task at hand…
Ultimately, it’s all about people
Despite accumulating a string of academic qualifications and
rubbing shoulders with the world’s most famous elite, Mandela was always most
comfortable with ordinary people. His love of people, dancing, music and his
booming laughter were infectious. Nelson Mandela realised that ultimately his
connection with ordinary human beings was at the basis of everything he wished
to achieve.
