Mandela was my inspiration during my teen years

It seems that every generation has a person it looks up to who inspires and who gives hope. Unequivocally, for people of my generation, that person is Nelson Mandela.

As a young child, I knew the name Nelson Mandela well before really knowing who he was. I learned the song “Free Mandela” without knowing from what he should be freed.

The seeds of the ideal of freedom were planted very early. It was only in my late teens that I learned more about the man himself. He inspired me as a young teen and, as I learned more over the course of my life, he continued to inspire.

We now live in a time—in the Western World, at least— where kids are leading a superficial fight to be free. To be free from their parents’ rules, to be free from writing their essays, to be freed of the consequences that are a result of poorly thought-out actions.

But freedom is not simply being able to speak your mind and do as you please. Rather, in the words of Mandela, it is being able “to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

When an iconic figure like Mandela dies, it’s important not to be saddened by thoughts about his oppressors and the persecution he suffered. Instead, we should remember his achievements while fighting for democracy and justice during his struggle for freedom.

We often focus on Mandela’s 27 years in prison and his achievements after his incarceration. We should also remind ourselves of all that he accomplished before. Indeed, he dedicated his entire life to being in the service of his people.

One of Mandela’s first great achievements was in 1952 when he used his studies in law to open the first black legal firm in South Africa.

Mandela demonstrated the importance of education as he used this opportunity to fight apartheid, unjust laws, and discriminatory practises for his people.

Mandela was not persuaded to go into law in order to gain political power or accumulate wealth.

Instead, Mandela was an advocate for equal rights; he refused to let his community be exploited and his law firm toiled to promote justice for all. And that is the real essence of freedom: to have the opportunities to participate in the same activities and decision-making as anyone else in one’s society— and not to be treated differently.

In November 2001, I was fortunate to see Mandela when he visited Toronto.

He visited the Toronto school named after him—Nelson Mandela Park Public School—to remind students of their responsibilities and to deliver an inspiring message for them to be “future leaders of the world.” He made clear to them the importance of resiliency and striving to gain access to education in order to secure better futures for themselves and for those around them. Living just a few blocks away from Nelson Mandela Park PS, and noting their recent tribute to Mandela, it is awe-inspiring to see how much these students have been positively influenced by his accomplishments.

Mandela’s passion for people to live together with equal opportunities, and with justice and freedom, was enough to make him fight against any form of resistance towards those ideals. The ideals that he spoke about were not just empty words: he practised and demonstrated them with his daily actions.

We as Canadians should be proud of the role that we played in helping to free Mandela from prison. At that moment in history, we showed leadership and courage—just as Mandela did. If more political leaders showed half the courage Mandela did, we would see much less institutionalized racism, and more harmony among people.

Nelson Mandela will always be my social conscience and spiritual guide.

His life example will continue to lead me through all my days. I am certain many people around the world have the same sentiments as I do. May his spirit live on forever.