Rest in Peace Nelson Mandela. All those years in prison, the stress of leading his country, his health problems afterwards, and the man was still strong enough to make it to 95. A great man and a great inspiration to people from all walks of life.
I was fortunate enough to have caught a glimpse of Mandela on his first trip to the US, right after being released from prison. Mayor Dinkins was his host, and I got to see him getting out of a car and going into a bldg. It was exciting just to see him for that brief moment.
major inspiration...true human...has overcome all obstacles and shown us the true light...warrior 4 life!
one love!
one of the few people in the world I wanted to meet.
RIP Madiba.... You were truly an inspiration to men like myself.
credit: reddit user jonahlew
callmened wrote:#that is all
#mandelawasthegoods
8. He had a chance to get out of prison — and declined, on principle. In 1985 South African President P.W. Botha offered Mandela his freedom if he would agree to renounce armed struggle. He refused, saying, "What freedom am I being offered while the organization of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts."
14. He used sports to bring the racially divided country together. Mandela saw national reconciliation as one of the most important tasks of his presidency. As covered in Invictus, one key moment came when South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup. While black South Africans despised the national rugby team, Springboks, Mandela encouraged them to support the team. When they faced New Zealand in the final, Mandela appeared in a Springboks jersey with captain Francois Pienaar's number on the back and the mostly white crowd erupted in cheers. After the team's win, Pienaar was asked what it was like to have "62,000 fans supporting you here in the stadium." He answered, "We didn't have 62,000 fans behind us. We had 43 million South Africans."
I was lucky to have met him twice while working for the South African government in 1999 and 2000. First time at the Johannesburg airport when he was brought to the plane in a car to drop off his wife Graca Machel, who was on my flight to Maputo, Mozambique. The reaction of the people queuing to board the plane was mind-blowing, they started to sing and dance and cheer him, deeply moving. He was a saint for most in South Africa. I feel extremely happy to have witnessed that, still today his charisma and human warmth leave a deep impression.
