67 minutes for you – Mandela Day 2014
He did not live his life for just 67 minutes, in one day, every year. He led his life spreading those values every minute, of every day of his life.
Nelson Mandela will never need an introduction in South Africa.
He was the first democratic president of this country, and could possibly remain the most famous South African president, and there is not much that can be written about this great man that has not been written before.
If you want a history of the country’s father of freedom, ‘Tata’, search the Internet. Rather let us remember who he was and what he stood for.
For the past twenty years, South Africa has been led democratically, and although many people may have some gripes about the current government, the truth is, the vast majority of this country is happy.
When you think about who brought on this happiness, you think Nelson Mandela. Sure they were many others who fought for this country’s freedom, and we remember them too. But not like Madiba. The face of freedom in this country will always be him.
Besides freedom, Mandela stood for a vast number of qualities: unity, peace, selflessness and so many others that column inches could not contain.
Yet although we remember these principles, how many of us truly respect them?
In modern day South Africa, there are three generations: the Apartheid generation, and the ‘born-frees’, or those born when Apartheid was failing.
The Apartheid generation stands as testament to the fact that through the work of Mandela, and other freedom fighters, this country has moved into a new era. The promise it shows, while shadowed by the alleged malpractices of modern day government, is still something worth striving to achieve.
The generation of ‘born-frees’ stands testament to a new population who have the opportunity to grow unhindered by a biased system of laws, allowed to grow up in country where they can travel freely and are not judged on the colour of their skin. So why is it that there are still those who choose to turn their back on the legacies left behind by Mandela?
Today is Mandela Day. Many people around the country and the world will donate just 67 minutes of their time for community service, or just to help out wherever they can, in memory of Mandela.
But this should not be the case.
Do not give that time for Mandela. Give that time for yourself.
It may seem great to say, “I’m remembering ‘Tata'”, but instead of remembering him, remember what he taught us, and emulate his teachings for yourself. The memory of Mandela should never leave the South African people.
What the people should remember is that he did not live his life for just 67 minutes, in one day, every year. He led his life spreading those values every minute, of every day of his life.
Let us use these 67 minutes to try and bring the values he led his life with, into our daily lives.
Commentary by Talha Randeree
