Nelson Mandela Fights On

"The Robben Island Bible" is actually a book of William Shakesoeare's works. It was kept by the group of men who were imprisoned with Nelson Mandela during the apartheid era. The friends chose passages whose messages held particular meaning for them and signed their names beside the passages. Facing death without fear must have given immense strength to Nelson Mandela, who selected a passage from "Julius Caesar" to sign. The lines are reminiscent of Mandela's forceful declaration in a 1960 South African apartheid courtroom that he was prepared to die for his beliefs. ~~~~~~ "Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard. It seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come." ~~~~~~ Julius Caesar was replying to his wife Calpurnia's plea not to go the Senate for fear he would be killed. The words echo the determination of the younger Mandela to oppose South Africa's racist government at whatever personal cost, a brave decision that makes it more difficult for some admirers to realize that their idol is on a slow decline in old age. ~~~~~ As the 94-year-old former president lies gravely ill in a hospital, it is comforting to me, dear readers, to understand that the group of anti-apartheid pioneers who found their leader in Nelson Mandela, and who fought one of the modern world's great moral battles against bigotry and racism took courage and guidance from the world's greatest writer, across centuries, continents and cultures, from history's great dramatist, who explored human frailty and strength, and the power, conflict and triumph in human relationships. Today, we may wonder whether Nelson Mandela is near the end of his life, and we may worry about the quality of the life he now endures. Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, has said her husband is sometimes uncomfortable but seldom in pain. A grandson, Ndaba Mandela, said Tuesday that his grandfather was "very much alive," the South African Press Association reported. Even though Mandela retired from public life years ago, the prospect of his death has troubled compatriots who see him as a unifying force in a country struggling with poverty and other problems. When president, Mandela once said : "When we were on Robben Island, enemies of democracy concocted stories that I once had died and, at another time, was 'busy dying.'" Nelson Mandela's vision of his exit from this world reminds me of one of Shakespeare's sonnets : ~~~~~~ Sonnet LXXIII That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou seest the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. ~~~ We may be sure that Nelson Mandela has fought the good fight that St. Paul praises as the precursor to having a place in Heaven. He will go head held high and smiling at the new world he is about to conquer.