The Stoicism of Nelson Mandela — Daily Meditations | Introducing Ubuntu Stoicism
This post inspired my short compilation book, ‘Introducing Ubuntu Stoicism: Gain Joy, Resilience, Productivity, and Defuse Anxiety.’ It’s on Amazon. Order here if in South Africa — or visit your nearest bookstore.
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One of the popular things about Nelson Mandela on the internet is the question on his faith. Was he Christian or not?
One of the other popular things is his favourite line: “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” It is a line from the Victorian Poem Invictus by 19th-Century poet and writer William Ernest Henley (1870 –1903).
Invictus was even named in a movie in which Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela. It is a biographical sports film about events leading to the 1995 Rugby World Cup, after South Africa returned to competing internationally due to apartheid being ended and Nelson Mandela elected the first democratic President of the country.
South Africa won that World Cup (Yay!!).
Although Mandela was brought up in a Christian home — he was a card-carrying member of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in his youth — it is not clear whether he identified as Christian or not in his later life.
Nonetheless, he kept close relations with the MCSA and the South African faith communities in general.
I care not whether he was Christian or not, religious or not. To me, he was religious in liberating South Africa from the apartheid government.
Mandela’s Stoicism
It is said nowhere that Mandela was a stoic. I am not giving the impression that he was. To me, though, as someone who gets benefit from the Stoic Philosophy, Nelson Mandela gave some stoic quotes that I meditate on frequently.
In Prison, he apparently was sneaked-in a copy (and read) of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. This is very much unsubstantiated. He could have read it, among many other books which prisoners read usually.
Here follows meditations on Nelson Mandela’s sayings.
“… at least, if for nothing else, the cell gives you the opportunity to look daily into your entire conduct to overcome the bad and develop whatever is good in you.”
This man was jailed, and he chose to see the good that can be achieved in him.
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
Fears try to jail us. Freedom is giving light to our darkness and acting out our hopeful choices.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
Conquering fear gives fuel to our hopes.
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This post continues as a revised edition in my short compilation book: ‘Introducing Ubuntu Stoicism: Gain Joy, Resilience, Productivity, and Defuse Anxiety.’ It’s on Amazon. Order here if in South Africa — or visit your nearest bookstore.
