The holiday season provides us with moments of warmth that we carry into the long winter. It’s a time to appreciate loved ones, summon generosity, and connect with our communities, including our retail businesses and non-profits. I spent a recent weekend at the Burklyn Holiday Market in St. Johnsbury, where local artists and specialty food producers sell their hand-made wares and, just as often, take time to catch up with neighbors who may have gotten lost in the overheated hustle of our busy lives.
We also pause at this time of year to reflect on the meaning of loss in our individual and collective worlds. This year we were stunned by the inexplicable tragedy on the Metro North line, near New York City. And we’re reminded of wars still raging and natural disasters unfolding with alarming frequency.
As flags fly at half-staff throughout Vermont, we’re also taking a moment to reflect on the monumental impact of Nelson Mandela, who bore witness and mounted a fierce resistance to South African apartheid. Mandela’s life provides a potent example to anyone who aspires to the goal of equal dignity and opportunity for all people. Like Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Mandela sacrificed to advance his larger vision. With every reason to be bitter and even violent after having served 27 long years in prison, Mandela summoned forgiveness, urged non-violence, and led his troubled nation toward reconciliation.
Mandela’s passing also provides an opportunity for people around the world to find common cause to address his unfulfilled mission. Because years after Mandela assumed power and forged political democracy in South Africa, that nation, like much of the world, remains mired in an economic inequality.
More black South Africans have water, electricity, and basic education today than they did under apartheid. But most South African schools and neighborhoods remain segregated and blacks lag far behind whites, economically - and in levels of education. Black majority rule is there to stay in South Africa but racism too frequently lingers just below the surface. “It’s always with us, waiting to pounce.” said insurance broker David Muthavhatsindi in a recent New York Times interview.
Nelson Mandela knew that the struggle for justice and against prejudice must be renewed by every generation. His example shows how our survival depends on it. Mandela understood the need for economic equality, too—even though it was beyond his ability to achieve it for South Africa. In a world where many people live on less than three dollars a day, the need to relieve the scourge of poverty is not unique to South Africa. But a reflection on Mandela’s legacy can’t help but to spur us to do more—even here in Vermont where an estimated 33,000 households struggle to provide adequate food for their families.
Through their redeeming vision and compassion, figures like King, Ghandi, and Mandela demonstrate grace, unswerving commitment, and generosity – under pressure. Their examples lead the way for all of us to build on their legacies.
