He asked that we believe he was an an ordinary man…
“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
~ from President Obama’s speech today honoring Nelson MADIBA Mandela
“For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived~a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice.”
~Read the full text of President Obama’s speech today honoring Nelson MADIBA Mandela
Madiba is the name of Mandela’s Xhosa tribe. It is an act of honor to refer to someone by the name of their tribe. Mandela says in the book: Long Walk to Freedom that he was given the English name “Nelson” by his teacher on his first day at school.
There are two things that I thought of today when I heard the news. One was how I am always in awe of the depth of his ability to forgive and how he used that gift to raise up a nation from darkness. Secondly I am amazed by the humility of this man who could not see how amazing he was. Once when he was on Oprah’s show he asked “What was the topic that day” and she broke out laughing saying “You”
Thank you, Judith. You captured his life so well in those few sentences.
We need men like him in our world right now . Yes he is free and I belve he will be with us Thanks to him .
Love, love, love this. A sad day filled with appreciation for an extraordinary man. He was one of my very few heroes. D.
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2013 04:44:30 +0000 To: dsnedaker@hotmail.com
A sad day as we honor this noble triumphant man. He moved and significantly improved the world in less than century. Thank you for the post, Anita.
Thank you for sharing Obama’s speech – I remember seeing him at the Oakkand Coliseum ~ the energy was so high I thought we were gonna lift off the ground .
Yes to all.