I had purposefully stayed out of the debate regarding the death of Nelson Mandela up to this point on purpose. Most of what happened, was before I was born, but that didn’t stop me from looking back and learning about it. I didn’t stick my head in the sand, and blow it off. I knew that this man had affected many with his life, so I wondered why, and how.
But, I kept seeing people debate about his manner of how he got things done. And that is fine. Debate, have open conversations about this, in a respectable format. Because, maybe in this format, we learn something we just didn’t know.
At the same time, if someone simply wants to honor someone who has passed, allow them to do so. For, there is nothing wrong with stopping, and taking the time to reflect on one’s life. Both the successes and the failures. Maybe, that is the whole point. Utilize what was successful and carry it forward, and the things that were horrible and cruel, well, discard those into the places that only the past should bear. We can’t change the past, as much as we wish we could sometimes, BUT, we can change the future. It has not been shaped or molded. We only have the present to decide. And that is the gift of it all. So, take the present, and reflect on the past, then step into the future and mold it into the world that we most deeply desire it to be.
That world that is safe for our children, peaceful and kind, with morals and values. Respectful of others belief systems even if it is not the same as mine. When you look at the world through your children’s eyes, maybe then, and only then will you be able to view the world you really want to leave for them. Because looking through your own, well that allows for hate to intercede. Your child only allows for love.
So, design the world through your children’s eyes, I can only imagine a much better world in that view.
Commentary of a Talkative Woman 