“…I have walked that long road to freedom
I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way
But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill,
One only finds more hills to climb”
- Nelson Mandela
I have always been fascinated by
the resilience of this great and influential man. I admire not only his
resilience but his fortitude and boldness in the face of fearsome odds. Where
many men would have given up, this man saw hope. Where others would have seen
only darkness and despair, he saw a continuation of the struggle for
liberation.
For those who are not familiar
with Nelson Mandela, he is the founding father of South Africa. The man you see
in the picture above spent nearly three decades in what can only be described
as a combination of a harsh prison and an intolerable labour camp – the prison
at Robben Island. Though he was imprisoned in a remote island where his family
was rarely allowed to visit; though the white government did it’s best to
frustrate him and his family. Though he lost his mother and his first born son
while in prison and was not allowed to bury them, this man never gave up. He
walked the talk, he ran the race and he won the prize.
His life has served as an example
for many of us that in this life, there are not only good things but also bad
things to come. In his life we see that it is not always clear which course of
action is right to take until the consequences start to show. His hardships
show that indeed there is such a thing as the greater good.
In our own lives we grow up
differently. Some grow up being picked on by others in school, others grow up
as bullies and still others grow up as faces in the crowd. Some learn to take
criticism positively in the early years of their lives. Others learn this
later, sadly, some never do. Those especially that are pampered as children
never quite learn to deal with the pressures of life.
Life comes in many tastes, flavours and colours. For some people life will be hard from the beginning. For many,
life starts out easy then grows steadily more difficult. Learning to lose early
teaches us the value of patience and renewed effort. The games we learn as
children teach us critical life lessons in a very simple and fun way. Lessons
like teamwork, and life values such as winning and losing, allowing others to
win.
It’s not so easy to stick to
these values when we are older, when letting the other person get the credit
might mean that they get that promotion that you’ve been eyeing eagerly for over
a year. It’s also not that easy to work as a team when your work as part of a
team is not appreciated and your job depends on it. Life would be easy if that
is all we had to worry about but there are other things as well.
Growing up, we have many friends
surrounding us. We generally only lose true friends when their families move
away and we lose touch. However, as adults we lose friends just by getting
busy. This is a big blow in life because friends are our support system. They
are the ones that give us a chance to relax and relieve the deep stress that
sometimes haunts us at work. Ever had a boss shout at you? Ever had your salary
delayed? Ever been berated like a child in front of your juniors? Having
friends allows us to absorb the shocks of life as they come. However, there is
a time in everyone’s life when they must stand alone.
Your friends can’t always deal
with your drama. They won’t always be there to hold your hand and listen. They
won’t always have a shoulder for you to lean on when you are not strong.
Sometimes they too have their own battles to fight. In your life it may come to
a time when you need to stand alone for a period much longer than you were
originally prepared to face. Disaster strikes in the most unexpected ways. Your
wife dies when you are still young, or perhaps it is your first child – how can
anyone help you to deal with this? They can sympathize but they can’t really
understand what you are going through or share your pain.
Each
heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy
- Proverbs 14:10 (NIV)
We must therefore strive to
emulate those who have gone before us and succeeded. We must live not necessarily
as they have lived, but following the principles that they lived by. This one
principle no one can teach you. You do not learn it in childhood games, or
through initiation rites. This principle can only be learned by experience.
Stand alone and stand strong, for if you do not give up, you too will one day
raise up your fist in victory and grandeur.
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