I recently saw a movie about South Africa, THE COLOR OF FREEDOM. It is basked on the memoirs of a white, Afrikaans South African who was Nelson Mandela's prison guard for over twenty years. I was intrigued with the way Mandela managed to engage with this man, who gradually began to question his racism by witnessing the humanity he saw in Mandela. Again, I am moved by Mandela. Not ony by his courage to persevere so long for his cause, but also for his compassion and forgiveness towards his captors in the face of year after year of adversity and imprisonment.
Then, after his release from prison, at the end of apartheid, he established THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION ACT. Anyone who felt he was the victim of apartheid's violence was invited to come forward and be heard. Those guilty of the violence could also testify and request amnesty. This was a powerful act by Mandela and was instrumental in bringing democracy to South Africa. Probably because I have stood in that same stark cell on Robben Island where Mandela was confined for eighteen years, my admiration for his commitment to reconciliation, morality and integitry was made stronger.
It is wonderful in the light of the corruption and greed that we see all about us, to witness an individual who has truly born the fruits of Christianity. Baptized a Methodist he believed in the power of religion. He did not talk a lot about his beliefs, but bore the fruits of those beliefs in his life. As he once said, "Religion is one of the most powerful forces in the world. Whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Jew, or a Hindu, religion is a great force, and it can help one have command of one's own morality, one's own behavior, and one's own attitude." The world has witnessed the power of those beliefs.
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