At the 9/11 Truth “Working Within Ourselves” page of Imagine Peace and Plenty the practice of forgiveness was introduced as a tool for transforming our personal lives as well as for clarifying our political vision. Here on the first page in the “More Action Opportunities” section you will find some historical material about the power of applying forgiveness to political work. 

Then, on the second page of this section, a modern version of an ancient Hawaiian Huna healing practice – traditionally utilized for clearing out disempowering grievances toward ourselves and others – is offered for your consideration.  Finally, in the last page of this section, some concrete action step requests are presented which, if you embrace them, will contribute to the emergence of a world of Peace and Plenty for All.  Thank-you in advance for working with this material…

Watching an hour long documentary some time ago on the life and passing of Nelson Mandela (or “Madiba” as he was so widely and fondly known in South Africa) put many things into proper perspective for me, regarding the personal and political power of forgiveness.

Although I thought I basically knew the outline of Mandela’s life, nonetheless I found myself watching transfixed as the story of his political and spiritual evolution unfolded. This man endured 26 years of imprisonment, during which time his son and mother passed away, and so many of his friends and allies bled and died fighting for racial and political equality. Many of those prison years were spent in total solitary confinement.  Yet while living in his tiny cell, sleeping on a bed that was hard and cold, this amazing man grew a place in his heart that was soft and warm – a place inside himself with room enough for forgiveness and love, even for his jailers and the proponents of apartheid with whom he had bitterly struggled for so many years!

Coincidentally, I had heard the news of Mandela’s death shortly after having been ranting to someone about a string of my petty irritations, minor disappointments and unreasonable grievances. You know, I presume, what I am talking about – the kind of “blown way out of proportion stuff” that most of us, with some degree of regularity, fall prey to griping about. Suffice to say, by the end of watching this documentary I had sheepishly disavowed my petty complaints of the day and released whatever grievances to which I had foolishly been clinging. Of equal importance though, I had come away from watching this documentary with a deepened sense of the immense potential forgiveness offers as a key to mobilizing mass support for political and cultural transformation!

With the above in mind, I offer this corner of Imagine Peace and Plenty to you in honor of the life of Madiba – Mr. Nelson Mandela – and to say “Thank you, Madiba, for the remarkable example you set for all of us who still are learning how to surrender our grievances in exchange for the personal and collective peace, power and joy that forgiveness offers.”

Likewise, in writing these words, I join my own gratitude with that of 11 year old  Botlhale Boikanyo – the now famous young poet first introduced to the wider world on the “South Africa’s Got Talent” TV show. Here is an incredibly powerful clip of Botlhale reciting “Poem for Tata Madiba” – her ode to the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela – on that nationally televised program.

The Madiba Poem (4:06)

Written and Performed by Botlhale Boikanyo

If you are ready to be blown away by more poetic inspiration from young Botlhale, here are a couple additional brief clips:

 Botlhale at the try-out competition for the “South Africa’s Got Talent” show (6:17)

“Oh Africa!” – a poem of lament and hope, performed by Botlhale (2:20) 

Last, but not least, here is a glimpse of the great South African liberation leader himself, Mr. Nelson Mandela, in a brief clip that showcases both his energy of peace and reconciliation and the impact that these energies had upon the people he served.

World Reconciliation Day – History of Nelson Mandela (6:12)

To move on now to the next section of More Action Opportunities, please link here.