Yesterday the world lost a great man, maybe even one of the last truly great men left. Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95 leaving a legacy of hope, justice and forgiveness behind. I became aware of Nelson Mandela in the 1980's when the issue of Apartheid in South Africa was the popular issue for world activists much like Free Tibet is today. Songs like Sun City, Biko, and Free Nelson Mandela along with movies such as Cry Freedom brought the issue of racial segregation to the middle class suburban masses of Canada and the United States. It was through the story of Nelson Mandela that as a teenager I became interested in history and the stories the world held beyond the typical cold war rhetoric I had grown up with. For me Nelson Mandela became a man to look up to, someone embodied strength, determination, compassion, sacrifice, caring and the willingness to sacrifice himself for his ideals. Since my teenage years Nelson Mandela has always been there as a symbol that not all sacrifices go unrewarded, sometimes right does win and individuals do matter. For me Nelson Mandela was the living embodiment of histories greatest figures like Martin Luther King Jr and Ghandi.
The world is messier now than it was then. We like to focus on the failings of people and we live in a world where people's personal lives and every misstep are often exposed to the world. Professional athletes are regularly in the news for being arrested, our politician caught in scandal, our heroes constantly being brought back down to earth. Mandela and his fight against Apartheid reminds us of a simpler time when there was a right and wrong stance and it was OK to pick sides, even if the people you were siding with weren't perfect.
Visit the following link and explore the life of Nelson Mandela and the legacy he left for world. Then examine your own beliefs and who matters to you. Leave a comment on a person you admire or an issue you believe in and explain your stance.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nelson-mandela-dead-at-95-1.2417872Click on the following links to see some more on Nelson Mandela
Mandela's Release from Prison Speech
Who's is Nelson Mandela
Mandela, The Man and His Country
10 comments:
The person who has a significant importance to me is my best friend. She always puts my problems if preasant ahead of her own, and takes time to figure it out with me. She doesn't judge me or tell me what and what not to do, she takes into consideration all aspects and then allows to me to make descions the safe way reagrdless if she agrees with them or not. She's selfless, and kind and trustworthy above all. She's there for me whenever i need her and even when i don't. We don't need to be together all the time, and even if we're seperated for weeks at a time or even months, we remain like sisters and nothing shifts in our relationship.
AD
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, India. He studied law in London, England, but in 1893 went to South Africa, where he spent 20 years opposing discriminatory legislation against Indians. As a pioneer of Satyagraha, Gandhi became a leader of India's independence movement, organizing boycotts against British institutions in peaceful forms of civil disobedience. Satyagraha remains one of the most potent philosophies in freedom struggles throughout the world today. In 1948, he was killed by a fanatic.
Hero is a big word with a lot of pressure behind it. But as weird as this world is people who are considered to be heroes don’t even know they are. If I had to choose one person to be as my hero it would be my dad. My dad has been there for me since day one and that will never change. He necessarily hasn’t done anything to change the world but he has definitely changed my life. Without my dad I wouldn’t have what I do today and that’s an amazing life. He has provided everything for me, and also supported all of my decisions with everything I’ve done in life. Even if I wanted to do a sport that he knew I wouldn’t follow through with. I appreciate having him in my life and wouldn’t want any other dad in the world. Obviously my life isn’t perfect and there is up and downs with our relationship and that happens to any hero there is different situations for different people but in the end with me and my dad it always works out. I love him and I know he will do great things in his job like he already has.But continues to do so. JL
Someone who I could say I look up too would be Marilyn Monroe. I say that I could look up to her because she was the first woman to be flirty and express herself. She knew that women didn’t really feel obligated to be sexy or outrageous, but yet she did it. Although she did undergo changes such as her name, or plastic surgery I think that she showed women what confidence is. Her personality was sexy and bubbly, and she showed it. The consequences that she would have faced or the hostility she would have received from some people for being herself did not stop her because it did not seem to bother her. She was a role model to all women who were shy or had no self-confidence, even to ones who did but were just too scared to show it. Even though I don’t necessarily agree with Marilyn’s actions and I wouldn’t follow in her footsteps, I find Marilyn Monroe to be one of the prettiest women, because to me she is considered to be the first woman.
TG
I don't think I have a hero, but I do have someone I would do anything for. She's the best person in my life and without her I don't think I would be where I am today. She has never not been there to listen to me endlessly or give me advice, but the most uplifting thing about being her friend is her ongoing positivity. There has never been a time she has had a negative comment regarding even the worst situation and that helps me to grow as a person and learn to appreciate the little things and move past the negative. She is someone who I can go to, she is humorous and giving and the best person I think I'll ever meet.
A
Mr. Hockey (Gordie Howe)
Howe is most famous for his scoring streaks, physical strength, and career length.A 4 time stanely cup champion with the Red Wings (my favourite team), he won 6 Hart Trophies as the nhl's most valuable player and 6 Art Ross Trophies as the leading scorer.
Hayley Wickenheiser is a 35 year old female hockey player from Canada. She was the first woman to play full-time professional hockey in a position other than goalie. Wickenheiser is a member of the Canada women's national hockey team. She has represented Canada at the Winter Olympics four times, capturing three gold and one silver medal and twice being named tournament MVP. I consider Hayley to be the greatest female ice hockey player in the world. When I was 13 years old I met Hayley in Vancouver, during the tournament she puts on every year for female hockey teams in b.c. She game into my teams dressing room before we played the gold medal game and gave us a speech on how she got to where she was, we continued on to win the gold. I was the same age as her when she represented Alberta in the Canada winter Games, something that I hope to do for my province in my near future.
I think that one of the world’s current most important companies is the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF is an agency of the United Nations responsible for programs to aid education and the health of children in developing countries. The children of the world are the future and UNICEF is making the future a better place to live in.
The person I most greatly admire is Jim Morrison. He had a passion for writing and poetry and was always one to excel in school. He soon grew out of poetry, while he attended UCLA. Although he wanted to drop out, he graduated only because he did not want to participate in the Vietnam War. His father was an amazing pianist, which is where he got his talent. In 1966 his band, The Doors, was signed and they were about to influence youth rock and roll culture in the 60s and 70s. I admire the fact that he worked hard to do what he wanted, despite his earlier interests.
We live in a time where politics are either pointless or messy. To me it feels like we have a bunch of toddlers running the world. News is almost always bad and things are wrong all over the place. It is hard to look up to people or name someone as a hero. A hero is not born either; a hero is made, shaped by their own will and desires. It is a complex thing and sometimes hard to understand but this is how I can explain it. I believe in people. People are strong. Everyone has the potential to be great, or terrible. It all comes down to decisions, choices that will change yours or someone else’s life. And as long as that one person who fights for the right thing comes along every now and again, I will continue to believe in the fact that people can be good and not just evil. In closing, I don’t really believe in heroes, I believe in the goodness of people. I look up not to the politicians and superstars, but to the everyday man and woman. I look up to the guy who will come to work feeling like crap and make someone else smile. I believe in the good mother who takes care of her children and her job. In other words . . . I believe in the everyday hero.
~MB
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