He once told me that he lived on hatred when he went into prison because he was young and he was being abused and he was out there cracking those hard rocks all day and he said after about 11 years he realized that they'd already taken about everything they could take from him except his mind and his heart. He said I realized that those are things you have to give away and I decided not to give them away.
I thought that was profound on many levels.
- Bringing the hatred with him as he journeyed day to day became a heavy burden for Mandela. For each of us, we should let the hatred go.
- For many people it seems time in prison allows for a personal reflection on the meaning of life which often leads to spiritual growth, change, and maturity. That's the best outcome for a prison sentence and I wonder why it happens for some and not others.
- For most of our great spiritual leaders (Jesus, Ghandi, Buddha, et al), they are removed (by choice or not) from the lives they understand and are forced to confront life in its most basic form - which often leads to great spiritual and personal awakening. And gives them the strength and wisdom to lead.
And...here's an article about the day Mandela was released from 27 years of prison.
No comments:
Post a Comment