How could a person celebrate Mandela’s fight against discrimination in his society and condone the same bigotry against a community at home? How can we love the doctor and the disease he fights, at the same time?
One of the world’s most celebrated heroes passed away this week. Nelson Mandela was known for his persistent and heroic struggle against the South African apartheid — a system of racial segregation enforced through legislation after World War II — under which the rights of the black population were severely curtailed. Social discrimination was wanton, ugly and frequently violent.
Mandela’s stance is best stated in his quote: “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But, if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Categories: Asia