Madiba, We Love You!
#NelsonMandela was uncompromising in his efforts to combat #adversity and #injustice, but most of all, what really stood out for me, was his willingness and capacity to forgive and reconcile!
Tortured and imprisoned for almost three decades, #Mandela was able to put aside the enmity of the past by forgiving seemingly unforgivable acts and showing #kindness to those who had mistreated him.
He believed that people were essentially good, and showed kindness when you’d least expect it. The following personal story1 penned by Mandela himself, delivers a powerful (and awesomely unbelievable!!!) lesson in #forgiveness:
'After I became president, I asked one day some members of my close protection to stroll with me in the city, have lunch at one of its restaurants. We sat in one of the down-town restaurants and all of us asked for some sort of food … After a while, the waiter brought us our requests, I noticed that there is someone sitting in front of my table waiting for food.
I told then one of the soldiers: Go and ask that person to join us with his food and eat with us. The soldier went and asked the man so. The man brought up his food and sat by my side as I asked and began to eat. His hands were trembling constantly until everyone had finished their food and the man went.