Sunday, December 08, 2013

Nelson Mandela RIP

 Firstly two previous  posts on this blog seem relevant:

January 2013  and  January 2010

Perhaps these say more than than anything else that I can add.

However secondly I would add that had Mandela not did what he did as regards working towards reconciliation, the risk of much internecine or civil  warfare and killing between black and white South Africans would have been huge.

That he avoided so much strife and saved so many lives  are surely matters to to be remembered and celebrated at this time.

The biblical story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well and asking her for a drink seems to me to be spot on as regards Mandela's private life. The woman having had I think more husbands than Mandela had had wives, was after letting Jesus drink as I recall  forgiven and told to go away and sin no more.

The open hearted  provision of a drink to a thirsty man  was essentially more important than the upheavals in  her private life. So it is in my view with regard to the late Nelson Mandela's private life.

Essentially he gave all South Africans water to drink in equal measure at a time when  drinking water might by analogy have been said to be far  more  available to a small percentage only of the South African population. Almost miraculously in my humble opinion  his deep insight and actions in  public life saved the country from dreadful civil war and fighting and for that he was indeed a great man.

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