We must trust others so they may trust us

Yesterday morning I nearly made my children late for school as I sat and watched the funeral of the great man, mentor, icon, Nelson Mandela. For some reason I was drawn to his funeral procession intrigued by the dreary rainy day for the sendoff of Mandela. Almost as if the Universe was weeping for the loss of one of its greatest.

I was mesmerized by the number of people, the diversity of people who were there despite the rain. Symbolic of the change he made by simply being who he was. Paving the way for the rainbow of people to be gathered to honor him. Not trying to be a saint but a man who believed that all men should be equal. To hear his grandchildren speak with such affection and admiration for their grandfather gave me chills.

To see the world leaders that had gathered as well as the common man all joined to say thank you to a man who understood that in order to be free, he had to free himself from hatred and pain. And then I heard President Barack Obama speak and knew I had been led to listen to the words of this very wise and conflicted man particularly when he said,

“It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailer as well - to show that you must trust others so that they may trust you; to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past, but a means of confronting it with inclusion and generosity and truth. He changed laws, but he also changed hearts.”

We are all given trials. All given hardships not to weaken us but to strengthen us. Not to cast us out but to help us to learn how to find our way back in. Our greatest jailers are our own minds. Our minds can free us or imprison us and it is up to us to break free of the limitations, prejudiceness and ignorance we carry around with us in order to understand our place in this world. In order to be tolerant, forgiving and compassionate because one day we may find ourselves in the position of the oppressed and when we do will there be anyone to help us because of how we treated them in the past.

I knew yesterday morning President Obama’s words had been sent to me to remind me of the greatness that exists within me even when I doubt who I am and what I stand for. To know I must trust others in order for them to trust me. I am not an Island but interconnected in more ways to my fellow mankind than I will ever comprehend.

President Obama went on to remind us about how short our lives really are by saying  “For the people of South Africa, for those he inspired around the globe, Madiba’s passing is rightly a time of mourning, and a time to celebrate a heroic life. But I believe it should also prompt in each of us a time for self-reflection. With honesty, regardless of our station or our circumstance, we must ask: How well have I applied his lessons in my own life? It’s a question I ask myself, as a man and as a President.”

Forcing me to think about my passing that will come soon. Forcing me to question if I were to die tomorrow would I be content with the life I have led? Could I honestly say I did my best with the resources I have? Could I feel like I had been of service to myself and to my fellow mankind?

Each one of us has been put here for a reason and what we need to remember in the passing of a great man being eulogized by another great man is that we are not perfect beings. We are flawed simply because we have been sent here to learn to grow and to understand we are all connected. In order to know this, we have to be knocked down sometimes, locked up sometimes physically and other times metaphorically, to know that we always know the way home. We always hold the key to our success – not yet material success but spiritual success as well.

Even in his death, Mandela symbolizes the gift of freedom of the mind. And now he has the wings to fly. To soar and remind us of our own personal freedom.

Mandela, your light has gone out in this world but will continue to burn in our hearts and minds forever - the internal flame of freedom.  Amen.