Madiba, you taught me so much.
You taught me never to judge someone for their past. Nobody deserves that. We deserve rather to be valued for what we became, for what we learned from our life's experience and how we evolved into who we are today.
You taught me the importance of treating everyone as a friend, because every stranger is just a friend I have not yet met. And you challenged me to cross the Rubicon and befriend those I fear and mistrust or those who I assume don't like me. When I realised that we are all the same and that we all have the same desires and needs, the thought of separation and division just melted away.
You taught me the meaning of 'Ubuntu'. I am who I am because of who we all are. This has become my mantra. It is no longer just a beautiful saying. I resonate with its truth. I am no less and no more than each other individual or the greater whole. We are all one people, Spirit's people. We are all one blood, the blood of Spirit/Love. We are all sisters and brothers and we are all children of the same/one-and-only God.
You taught me the importance of sticking steadfastly to my goals even in adversity and even when there appears to be no hope. Your 27 years of imprisonment, though they must have felt insurmountable and at times overwhelming with feelings of defeat, your strength in upholding your beliefs against all odds won in the end.
You taught me the importance of education. You never wasted a minute during the time you served. You invested your time and efforts in studying everything possible to empower yourself with knowledge and wisdom, so that you could emerge a true genius in understanding the minds of your adversaries. You used your education to empower yourself to think outside the box, to challenge the conditioning of the world in which you found yourself and give you the tools to steer humanity from hatred to love. You are a teacher second-to-none.
You taught me the importance of having a belief that you are prepared to die for and to never give up.
You taught me the importance of caring for others, for selflessly being of service to others and going out there and finding someone who is in need. As Christ said "The harvest is plenty, the workers are few." You have inspired me to give to others, even if it is merely a smile, a compliment, a hug or a helping hand.
You proved to me that there is a way out of discrimination and intolerance of one another's beliefs. At your memorial service yesterday spiritual leaders and political leaders of the full spectrum united in their appreciation and adoration of you. Your ideals were founded out of humanitarianism and not out of any man-made religion or dogma. Your guiding light is Love/Spirit/God and anything that is of God unites us, and anything that is not of God divides us. Anything that divides is done out of fear and 'unlove'.
You taught me that Love and Forgiveness are inseparable and that these two, which in fact are one, are the only thing worth living and striving for. You planted a seed within my heart to propagate the message of self-love and to be of service to others in helping them let go of their pasts and to show them how forgiveness is achievable. It is possible to completely relinquish attachment to the past and live unencumbered and free.
It is my greatest wish to propagate this message to all of humanity and even though I am only one, as you were only one, I will endeavour to be the best I can be and do whatever I can do. I cannot do everything, but I can and will do something.
"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world, for indeed; that's all who ever have."
Margaret Meade.
I wish to play out with this most amazing you-tube clip of Johnny Clegg with our late Madiba.
Have the tissues handy when you do.
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