Barack Obama praised Nelson Mandela as the "moral compass" of his political career long ago. Obama spoke about that at length while addressing fans at
Mandela was no saint.
*Mandela |
Not vengeful despite unjust imprisonment
Mandela described his seemingly endless years in prison as a "university behind bars." During that time he became neither angry nor a populist. He says he learned humility, patience and tolerance there. Some critics, such as the radical recruiter Julius Malema, the head of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) so popular among South Africa's poor, say that he learned too much thereof. Malema and his people preach a dangerous brand of reverse racism but they also have a strong argument: After two decades, not all South Africans are afforded the same chances of success. Nowhere in the world is the chasm between rich and poor greater than in
Meanwhile, we in the West are no longer so far removed from that reality. Gated communities are springing up across
The gap between rich and poor is widening. In
Egoism on the march
Today, Mandela's ideals are running into a wall of egoism across the globe. Until recently an entire presidential clan plundered the state coffers of his home country with impunity. From
Of course every society must ask itself how generous it can afford to be. Or whether it is being taken advantage of. If its rules and laws can be accepted and maintained. How much foreignness it can tolerate. And whether asylum rights are being granted to the wrong people. Nevertheless, the immigration debate in
Society's rhetoric has come to the point that it does not even bother to disguise this new erosion of solidarity. Political language has become cruder than ever and is at times dehumanizing. Our lack of empathy for others is nothing less than shocking.
How much solidarity can
and will the world exhibit?
No wall can stand in the
way of the desire for a better life. Yet not everyone can flee; many must
remain and find solutions right where they are. And Development Minister Gerd
Müller's budget will never be big enough to provide those solutions. Still, the
big Mandela question today is: How much solidarity can we – must we – provide?
Nelson Mandela's greatest feat was to transcend ideology. To be able to listen
to others and refuse to view those with different opinions as enemies. Thus he,
a black man, became a role model for whites, communists, business leaders,
Calvinists and Muslims.Of course one can bemoan the fact that there are no Mandelas in the world today. But on this Nelson Mandela International Day one question may be enough to alter that flawed formulation: How much Nelson Mandela resides in each and every one of us? What are we willing to do? Are we prepared to give up some of our own wealth, and if so, how much? Or would we rather use sharp elbows to make sure that we get our spot on the spaceship?
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