The power of reconciliation

The passing of Nelson Mandela calls for us to reflect on reconciliation, a word as often repeated as it is misrepresented in political debate.

The South African leader’s life is an example of leadership with passion for a cause—the battle against racial segregation in his country—and with intelligence to understand the political moment and embrace a cause that extended beyond hatred and bitterness.

The 27 years he spent in prison transformed the militant ready to raise arms against apartheid and turned him into a man of state, capable of seeing past personal suffering to focus on building a nation where race was not grounds for privilege.

Many expected Mandela to embark on a vindictive campaign against the system —and its representatives— who took almost 30 years of his life for his political activism. They expected him to be like Robert Mugabe in neighboring Zimbabwe who gave free reign to the black majority’s resentment of the white population.

Mandela had no shortage of reasons to act like Mugabe, but his intelligence prevailed —to understand the moment his country was living— along with a generous spirit to embrace in the 1990s those who were his enemies in the 1970s. Thus he became a legend of a man able to forgive personal affronts for the good of his country.

It is unfortunate that the gesture of political greatness that marks Mandela’s life is so scarce among today’s leaders. Certainly many conflicts would be resolved —both personal and global— if resentment were replaced with reconciliation.

Mandela leaves us a history of hope in the face of adversity. His memory will live on for as long as there are people who truly devote themselves to reconciliation in the midst of hate.