Nelson Mandela: R.I.P.

Nelson Mandela has passed away at the age of 95.  South Africa's president Jacob Zuma said:

“He is now resting.  He is now at peace.  Our nation has lost its greatest son.  Our people have lost a father.  Wherever we are in the country, wherever we are in the world ... let us reaffirm his vision of a society in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another.”

After spending twenty-seven years in South African prisons, Nelson Mandela ultimately triumphed over apartheid, led his country to democracy and became South Africa's first black president.  He also won the Nobel Peace Prize.

President Obama said Mandela “achieved more than could be expected of any man.  I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example Nelson Mandela set.”

In Nelson Mandela's book “Long Walk to Freedom” — written while he was in prison — he wrote:

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

Words to live by.

R.I.P.