“It’s not how many times you get knocked down; it’s how many times you get back up.”-Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela has taken his fair share of falls, but that is what makes him stand out among a broad group of people who are committed to achieving world peace. The list of people who tried to take a stand against the evil doers in this world is endless. Those who can take a fall and find the courage to stand back up are few and far between.
Mandela lead peaceful and violent protests and ended apartheid in South Africa until his arrest in 1964. He was finally released in 1990, and earned the Nobel Peace prize three years later. He began the first black president only a year later.
Many of this generation did not hear of Mandela until he was depicted by Morgan Freeman in the movie Invictus. However, his work has helped lead nations and inspired millions.
Mandela lead thousands in a quest that seemed nearly impossible. The odds were against him and the punishments that faced him if he failed were severe. The courage it takes to stare uncertainty in the eyes yet march ahead is unmeasurable.
One of his beliefs was that no one is born hating someone based off of their race or religion. They are raised that way. So therefore, if hate can be taught, why not love? Love comes much easier to the heart than it’s opposite according to Mandela. The world is changing, and people are realizing that there is more to the world than hate and prejudice. It’d be a shame to be stuck behind in a world full of narrow minded people where change is a foreign concept.
The most important lesson to be learned is that anyone can change the world. If there is a will, there is a way. Mandela was continuously thrown to the ground and denied, but his desire for equality would not be satisfied until he knew that his people could walk the streets and not feel threatened by another man of the other color. He took his belief and did something about it. He didn’t stand back and wait for someone else to do what anyone could do. If he hadn’t taken those steps towards his beliefs, who knows where the world would be without him.