Nelson Mandela RIP

[Sequimite]

Choosing forgiveness over righteous anger not only frees the individual but can transform the world.

[eric m.]

Does anyone actually know what he actually did in South Africa that caused his imprisonment for 27 years! Just listening to the modern day news media create another false god to be worshipped is what causes history to repeat itself!!!(Yasser Arafat anyone) Nothing like documented historic facts over media myths! :p

[Sequimite]

He was convicted of conspiring to over throw the government along with others. He served 27 years in prison.

If you follow world events you know that he championed non-violent civil resistance and was largely responsible for healing a country that could easily have descended into a new tyranny and all out civil war.

[Blerv]

Very sad. On an optimistic note, it's a blessing he lived 95 years. Too many great people have left the world too early.

[Stuart Ackerman]

Read his autobiography..."A Long walk to Freedom"...

The answers are in own words...

[eric m.]

Keep digging! A wise man and a criminal covers his own tracks!

[Sequimite]

Keep digging! A wise man and a criminal covers his own tracks!

Is making offense remarks about the dead a hobby of yours? Please take it elsewhere.

[Blerv]

Been filling up the troll filter quickly these days. Sigh

[The Mastiff]

I seem to recall him being accused of murder by the government at one point. Don't know if it was true, false, baseless or what. During the 80's I didn't much like that he was affiliated with the ANC, a corrupt communist organization. Back in those days I was a "doomsday grunt" in Germany and in case of war my life expectancy was minutes to hours so I had a dim view of Communists. Still do in fact.

Fortunately we lived through those bad days and grew. Mandela sure inspired a lot of people, had great leadership skills and seemed to carry himself with dignity. Not so the wife of his during his incarceration that ran things like an organized crime figure, stuffed her pockets with as much as she could and was involved in murders.

He seemed more honest during his time in power than those before or after him.

So, yes. He had a large impact on his country and became an icon. Much more deserving of being an icon than Che, for instance.

[JNewell]

Keep digging! A wise man and a criminal covers his own tracks!

Is making offense remarks about the dead a hobby of yours? Please take it elsewhere.

None of us are perfect and none of us are perfectly consistent through our lives. In isolation, I could find things to criticize, but to me the overwhelmingly important thing is that when Mandela was finally freed he reached out to the white minority and extended his hand in reconciliation and forgiveness, when he could instead of stirred up a bloodbath. It's a lesson I try to take to heart.

[kbuzbee]

None of us are perfect and none of us are perfectly consistent through our lives. In isolation, I could find things to criticize, but to me the overwhelmingly important thing is that when Mandela was finally freed he reached out to the white minority and extended his hand in reconciliation and forgiveness, when he could instead of stirred up a bloodbath. It's a lesson I try to take to heart.

Spot on, brother.

We (okay, mostly the media ) tend to over idolize some folks and over vilify others. If there is something in someone's life you can take inspiration from, excellent! But don't fall into the trap of worshiping them. Few people are as good as their PR nor as bad as their critics would have you believe.

And I don't take erics comments as trolling, just an attempt at a reality check in the face of the glorified reporting going on.

Ken

[Sequimite]

Obviously people and publications tend to show a little more respect for the newly departed, but few have lived more public lives or been praised by more past enemies during their lives. Imagine that you were part of a group that was denied basic human rights including the right to vote in a supposed democracy. Would you stand up for your rights? Would you choose bloody revolution or non-violent protest?

The only excuse for suspecting the press accounts of Mandela is being too young to have seen the dramatic events unfold. I suppose many of you are that young.

add> to be fair, Mandela wasn't a pacifist like Gandhi. His choice was made according to what would be the best way to move his country forward. That's actually why I have a greater affinity for Mandela than I do for Gandhi.

[The Mastiff]

None of us are perfect and none of us are perfectly consistent through our lives. In isolation, I could find things to criticize, but to me the overwhelmingly important thing is that when Mandela was finally freed he reached out to the white minority and extended his hand in reconciliation and forgiveness, when he could instead of stirred up a bloodbath. It's a lesson I try to take to heart.

You do recall that South Africa was a nuclear power with a working ? amount of bombs. The Army was largely still intact and very good , highly professional. It might not have been the bloodbath you are thinking if he came in trying to do what Pol Pot did in Cambodia. Besides , with the world watching very closely it wouldn't have gotten too out of hand. It was a hand over of power not one side militarily defeating the other.

Still, comparing him to Mugabe what isn't there to admire?

[Blerv]

Very well put, Ken.

I'm all for a counter-point but when it's delivered with a couple sentences in a sarcastic way the intent is pretty clear.

As a white guy born in America, I simply can't fathom the context of Mandela's life. While nobody is perfect, the good he did (especially after imprisonment) was off the charts. The propensity for evil with that much power is very high, look at everyone of stature in our prison systems. I can't even drive to work without becoming infuriated and cutting someone off :p .

[Pinetreebbs]

So, what knife do you suppose Mandela would have carried?

[JNewell]

You do recall that South Africa was a nuclear power with a working ? amount of bombs. The Army was largely still intact and very good , highly professional. It might not have been the bloodbath you are thinking if he came in trying to do what Pol Pot did in Cambodia. Besides , with the world watching very closely it wouldn't have gotten too out of hand. It was a hand over of power not one side militarily defeating the other.

Still, comparing him to Mugabe what isn't there to admire?

Hard to say, for sure. Still, the hideous state of several other former European colonies in Africa does not give much reason to think the outcome would have been even remotely civilized. And, Joe, you can't serious think that the SA military would have used nuclear weapons on their own people, on their own home ground? :)

John

[Blerv]

So, what knife do you suppose Mandela would have carried?

Des Horn :)

[JNewell]

So, what knife do you suppose Mandela would have carried?

Probably depends on what point in his life you're talking about?

[Pinetreebbs]

Des Horn :)

Good one! Or it could be a version of the Okapi ring opening knife.

[The Mastiff]

Hard to say, for sure. Still, the hideous state of several other former European colonies in Africa does not give much reason to think the outcome would have been even remotely civilized. And, Joe, you can't serious think that the SA military would have used nuclear weapons on their own people, on their own home ground?

John

Don't think that was my point John. The fact was we are talking about a 1st world equivalent nation with a professional army who was being watched extremely closely by the worlds superpowers. They would would not have let it get out of hand. After Rohdesia the SA military was not going to allow anarchy and death squads in their own country and they remained the true power. The Nukes were disassembled and turned over to ? The transfer of power went smoothly watched by all the world. Whether or not the new government wanted to begin any kind of payback it wasn't in their best interests. At the time the SA army was considered one of the worlds best and they had been involved in wars and skirmishes for decades. They had been armed and trained by western powers as a counter to soviet and cuban buildups in africa and were very good. As I stated it wasn't exactly a 3rd world nation the world ignored like some of the current troubles going on there.