Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa. He was a brave, courageous man that spoke out against segregation and racism.
Mandela was thrown in prison for 27 year because he tried to overthrow the pro-apartheid government of South Africa. He was first imprisoned in the year 1962, and was released in 1990.
Immediately after he was let out of prison, Mandela began working in order to make life better for ALL South African’s.
Finally, in the year 1994, after a long, hard fight against the government, Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president. After being president for 5 years, Mandela retired.
He won lots of awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize and the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen. Along with winning multiple awards, he also quoted multiple quotes, including these quotes:
- Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
- I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers the fear.
- Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.
- Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.
- Forget the past.
But, unfortunately, on December 5, 2013, he died in Houghton Estate, South Africa, of lung illness. Nelson was 95 years old.
The world lost a great man, a man with great courage and a dream of fair treatment for all people. And, just like the people before him, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., and many, many more, he fought for his beliefs nonviolently.
Right now, take a minute to think about things you are thankful for. Then, think about things other people are in great need for. Visualize a perfect world. How can you change the world to make it perfect?
You could do something simple, like, reduce the amount of trash you use. Or, you could do something big, like show people that skin color, culture, and other reasons people are discriminated, are reasons to like them.
How would your perfect world look? Would people be happy, and stop dying? Will the greedy give to the poor? How great would it be to live in a world where nobody was in danger? I think that is the kind of world I want to be in. Follow the dreams of people like Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. There is always room for a positive change.
Thinks about this: What can you do to change the world and make it a better place? Comment your ideas, and maybe you can inspire someone else to make a difference.
