“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. ” This was said by Nelson Mandela, one of the most influential people in history. Mandela was an inspiring person because of his determination and fight for peace as well as his impact on the country of South Africa. The citizens of his country did not always direct their love or give him the glory he deserved as media may portray in the modern day.
On July 18th, 1918, Mandela was born in Mvezo on the banks of the Mbashe River in Transkei, South Africa (Biography of Nelson Mandela). He was born with the name of “Rolihlahla”, meaning “pulling the branch of a tree” but more commonly translated as “troublemaker”. His father, being one of the higher people in the social class of Mvezo, was destined to be chief of their tribe. Though his title and fortune were lost over a dispute with the local colonial magistrate. As a child, he was given the name “Nelson” by his teacher because it was custom to give the children “Christian” names.
Mandela’s hardships only expanded as he grew older. At the age of forty-two, on December 5th, 1955, Mandela was arrested for the first time on the account of treason. He and the twenty-seven other accused were sentenced to serve time in prison. On March 21st, 1960, police executed protesters that were supporting Mandela and the other accused. After being released from prison, Mandela secretly left the country under the name of “David Motsmayi” (ANCYL) When he returned, he was charged with leaving the country without permission and causing workers to strike (ANCYL).
When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw,” said Mandela, having spent twenty-seven years of his life in prison, eighteen of which were in especially brutal prisons. After battling with the law for an extended period of time, Mandela’s future started looking forward to a brighter tomorrow. Elected as the first black president in South Africa on May 10th, 1994, Mandela had achieved various accomplishments.
He cofounded and became the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”) in 1961 (Nelson Mandela Biography: bio. om). This organization was aimed at forcing the South African governments to recognize the rights of black people in the country (Nelson Mandela: history. com). Another organization that Mandela was a big part of when involved in politics was the ANC Youth League. The aim of this was to excite the youth to join the rest of the blacks in fighting against the segregation in the country (UMkhonto WeSizwe). Nelson Mandela worked for twenty years with nonviolent protesting against the South African government and its racist policies (Biography of Nelson Mandela).
After all of his accomplishments, Mandela’s life was a wild rollercoaster of positives and negatives. Nelson Mandela was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1988 (ANCYL). While in prison for so long, he wrote about his life, finishing the story outside of prison, he published his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, in 1994. Mandela used the nation’s enthusiasm for sports, encouraging everyone to support the rugby team. In 1995, South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup (Biography of Nelson Mandela).
Mandela, being sick and have been diagnosed with rostate cancer in 2001, decided to return to his native village of Qunu, and officially retired from public life. His leaving office and public life didn’t stop Mandela from helping people. While in retirement, he continued to helped fight against AIDS– a disease that killed his son in 2005 (Biography of Nelson Mandela). He went on to live a peaceful life in retirement, despite being in and out of the hospital for a recurring lung infection. However, in 2013 Mandela died in his home at the age of 95, but his legacy does not end there.
Nelson Mandela’s birthday was declared “Mandala Day” across the world to promote global peace. “Mr. Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community. ” says the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory’s website. He meant a lot to very many people, he influenced many people and changed many lives. Without him, who knows where the country of South Africa would be.
All in all, Mandela had a rollercoaster of a life, tough times and better times. No matter what, he did not stop trying to help people and make the world we are living in a better place. He changed the entire country of South Africa, making it for the best. Now, there is no segregation, there is no racism, the country he grew up in is peaceful and happy again. The sport of rugby is one of the most influenced groups by Mandela, however, all across the world, people are influenced by his good deeds. Nelson Mandela’s legacy will live on forever.
