On February 11, 1990, after intense pressure and boycotts from the international community, Nelson Mandela was released unconditionally by the South African fascist government after spending 27 years behind bars for his resistance against the apartheid regime.
“May your goals reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
He was sent to prison for believing in what was right and for fighting for the freedom of his people. Even after 27 years of injustice, he never lost os focus. I wonder if he came up with these powerful thoughts when he was still behind bars.
If he did, he was correct. He dreamed of freedom and planned to lead South Africa toward a more just and united future.
He was elected president on May 9, 1994, at the age of 75, becoming the nation’s first Black head of state.
He served a single term and stepped down in 1999.
Good times, indeed.
If you lived through the 1980s and 1990s, you might agree with me: there was something special about those years, and I’m not just talking about music and pop culture; it seems the whole civilization was on the right track, heading toward a better future.
- In 1980, Lech Wałęsa and the Solidarity Movement showed the world that communist rule in Poland could be defied.
- In 1982, the British Navy conducted a flawless military campaign to expel the Argentine invaders from the Falkland Islands.
- In 1985, Regan and Gorbachev began a series of meetings in which the two sat down and talked not like enemies, but like two guys sharing a common goal: saving the world from a nuclear apocalypse.
- On November 09, 1989, German citizens from both sides climbed atop the Berlin Wall, danced at the Brandenburg Gate, and started chipping away at the concrete with hammers and picks, officially marking the end of the Soviet Union.
- And, of course, in 1994, when Mandela was elected president of South Africa.
I’m not claiming those days were perfect. We experienced our fair share of injustice then, but it seemed like people and world leaders had more goodwill. Sadly, all that goodwill has vanished. Most of what we see around us now is evil, greed, and corruption.
Maybe common sense will come through once again. We must keep dreaming and planning, even if we are living in fear.
“Make the World Great Again.”
Feeling generous?
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The wall coming down was great…I’ll never forget it after reading about it in school and all of that. It should have never been put up to begin with…I love the 70s and 80s…of course you probably know that LOL…
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Seeing the Germans hammering down the wall and celebrating in the streets is one of the most wonderful memories of the 1980s.
Yes, we share the love of the 1970s and 80s.
A couple of weeks ago, I played Duran Duran, “A Matter of Feeling” on the phone, and my wife started to cry, and then I followed her in crying. The nostalgia was too much for us at that moment.
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My son dated a German for 5 years and he went over there…they of course still talk about it…her parents anyway.
Yes sometimes it can overwhelm you. I’m 59…so I turned 13 in 1980…and I had divorced parents and everything but still had a great childhood…we had freedom back then…our bikes were our keys to see the world.
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Wow! Thanks.
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Thanks for stopping by, Simon.
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