MY HERO FROM HISTORY

I have thought about a lot of people and situations in contemplating this question.

I thought back to Old Testament Times, to the book of Genesis and reflected upon Noah, who, for 120 years withstood the mocking and the ribald comments of thousands of antediluvians who mocked him about building a boat called the Ark

That took some doing and the huge pressures associated with resisting the temptation to swerve from his God-given occupation of building the ark indicate the strength of character of this man.

However, I thought the fast forward to the Times which I can remember from my 77 years of life on earth to date.

The person I most admire in modern times and regard as a hero for how he worked towards unifying his country after release from prison is Neilson Mandela. Mandela spent 20-odd years in jail at the height of apartheid, as he tried to promote unity and justice for all in South Africa. He was a man of his convictions and his courage won out.

When elected as President of South Africa, he worked hard on the unity of people both black and white and all creeds. His ability to unify people was nothing short of outstanding. To me, it is a pity that since his passing South Africa has largely gotten to a point of the pendulum swinging in a way that causes traditional Africans “1st peoples” to be elevated while others are subservient economically and commercially.

It’s a great pity that some leaders have died: Nelson Mandela was the person who would have enriched the world beyond his tenure, had he stayed in that position.

To me, while there are other notable and positive leaders, Mandela is the man who tops the list.