Hard to say farewell
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 11, 2013 -

The only two things that are certain in life are birth and death.

That we are born into this world is an undeniable fact of life and that we will die one day, leaving behind everything including our dear and near ones, is something inevitable.

This knowledge is perhaps one common defining feature of human condition in this temporal world.

But what makes all the difference in the life of the people who walked the earth is how they pass through this journey from the womb to the tomb, regardless of how short or long their sojourn might be.

In short, living life with a purpose and with no room for any regret over the possibility of that purpose left incomplete.

That was the life, we feel, that Nelson Mandela, the man from the Madiba clan, had lived till he he breathed his last at the ripe age of 95 years on December 5.

In fact, his was not an ordinary life, but an extraordinary one that could touch the heart of everyone with his unique combination as the head of a State, a National icon, a tribal leader, an apostle of peace and forgiveness, and a crusader for racial equality and brotherhood among all people.

In a bitterly divided South Africa, he won the love of all his compatriots through his selfless service; and in a sceptical age, he became, perhaps, the only genuinely global hero, to whom we could look up for inspiration and moral courage.

That was Nelson Mandela, the man with an unshakeable belief that one human being can change the course of history dramatically, that too, for the betterment of all.

In going ahead to fulfil the purpose of his life, Mandela had no fear of death or reprisal, because he knew that death is something inevitable and fear of death should not defer anyone from accomplishing the task he or she has set out to achieve.

In an interview given in connection with a documentary film made on his life and work which got nominated for the Academy award in 1996, Mandela said, "Death is something inevitable.

When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity".

Again, at the culmination of Rivonia trial in April, 1964, which awarded him death penalty, Mandela spoke from the dock, "During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.

I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realised.

But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

That was the kind of conviction that Nelson Mandela, the Nobel Peace laureate had. It's no wonder he has brought together even friends and foes in this death.

It is so hard to say farewell to such a noble soul even if death is an inevitable fact of life.