Alas, at the very ripe age of 95, the mighty man of our era Nelson Mandela of South Africa has breathed his last as announced early in the morning today 6th December 2013. May his soul rest in peace.
In the death of the late Nelson Mandela an Himalayan Mountain has been collapsed from this planet. A man fighting to free his country from the bondage of Apartheid, arrested and sentenced to spend his life in prison as a prisoner finally came out from the prison as the President of his country. What a mystery it is, from Prisoner to President!!
In the history of this planet the late Nelson Mandela will be known more not as a great Freedom Fighter but as the great promoter of Non-Retaliatory measures because after ascending to the presidency he followed Non- Retaliatory measures against those who perpetrated all hardships and torments for him after his arrest and almost three decades of his imprisonment by the Apartheid regime in South Africa. By following this doctrine of Non-Retaliation, he imitated the great ancient Greek Philosopher Socrates, Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and Civil Rightist Martin Luther King.
"Eye for an Eye and Tooth for a Tooth" was the doctrine of ancient King Hamurabi of ancient Mesopotamia which doctrine Nelson Mandela discarded and offered his warm Hand Shake to all his former enemies including those ruthless Security Guards who were guarding his prison Cell and while doing so treating him very badly.
A strong deciple of Mahatma Gandhi, the late Nelson Mandela acquired lot of attributes of Mahatma Gandhi in his life especially after his release from the prison during which period he was a changed man forgetting his former revolutionary self. Very few people can bring about such changes after undergoing traumatic life under the harsh regime of their enemies.
In India the late Premier Morarjee Desai under his Janata Party when came to power against Hitlerian Emergency Rule in 1975 of Indira Gandhi, showed compassion by practicing Non-Retaliatory measures. Otherwise, Morarjee Desai could tear Indira Gandhi into pieces for introducing Emergency Rule in India and treating her political opponents including Morarjee Desai with ruthlessness in the prisons.
By following the Non-Retaliatory measures against his opponents the late Nelson Mandela brought reconciliation in his country which in turn brought peace there and human brotherhood. If this method was not followed by the late Nelson Mandela as the President of South Africa, there would be chaos there by the Whites fighting against the Blacks and vice versa. It was very good decision of the late Mandela to forget the past and embark on the future following the advice of Jesus Christ to His Apostle Peter thus:
“Put your Sword in the Bag because those who fight with Sword will die by Sword only”.
The late Nelson Mandela put his retaliatory Sword in his Bag and opted t kiss his enemies which finally brought peace in South Africa.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait. A