“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or
nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head
pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark
moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and
could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.”~ Nelson Mandela I struggle with forgiveness in my personal life. I have no difficulty with it when the other side feels regret and sorrow. Often there is blame on both sides, and I can move toward compromise and letting go of my anger and disappointment in those situations. That is not the struggle. The hard part is when the forgiveness is one sided. In that situation, I am a terrible example. The capacity that Mandela demonstrated to forgive is the thing I found most inspirational about him.
Martin Luther King said that 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.' I am not sure that I believe that in my heart, though I would love to. In this instance, I think there is some short term evidence of that in Mandela's life. After being sentenced to life in prison and spending 27 years incarcerated, he lived the almost identical time afterwards as a world wide symbol that change is possible, that wrongs can be righted, that progress can be made. There is ever so much more to do in terms of social justice, but fact of Mandela's life and accomplishments is a source of hope,in a world with few such beacons. May his memory be a blessing.
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