i. The book ends with a chapter named Mandela's Gift, which delineates what Stengel took from Mandela the man, after having worked with him so closely. What do you take from the book, in terms of your own life?
I usually value to a great extent those virtues which I lack. Nelson Mandela was indeed a man of virtue, but I had to underline three of them, I would choose:
1. Love of the Mankind
Mandela must not be considered the father of the black people, but the fighter for equality. He accomplished the death of the racial segregation in his country. In some ways, he spent almost 28 years in prison for this, but I do not think it was something that hurt him. Stengel said that he left his own family aside. However, he can be portrayed as an incarnation or messiah, who had to be an aid for those in difficulty. The concept ubuntu, a person is a person through other people, has its personification in Nelson Mandela.
2. Trust me
Mandela was a man with no folds. He was the person he seemed to be. I remember being 7 years old, the first time I saw him on Informe Semanal. I had not ever heard of him, but I immediately knew he was a great person. When you behold a picture of him, you become aware of the kindness. I do not remember a person with such a captivating, but, at the same time, simple smile. He must have been the friend everyone would like to have.
3. The Measured Man
In hundreds of situations he could have got on his nerves due to harsh events happening to him. Nevertheless, he seemed calm all the time, as in a kind of Zen state. This feature would him the possibility to see difficult questions from other angles and lead to the best solutions to them. I wonder how many Mississippis he did count during his entire life!
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