Power of a Leader

In the 1600-1700’s, the English and the Dutch colonised South Africa. The White ruled the country and there were only a few who were brave enough to take a stand. Every change needs a leader. One of the few who risked his life to protect his people was Nelson Mandela. He tried several methods for his voice to be heard. At the same time, he selected his methods with caution so as to not hurt any innocent individual. Mandela, also referred to as “Madiba”, served 27 years in jail in order to prove his belief; peace amongst all. Prison was one of many several astonishing steps Mandela took to becoming a powerful leader and in order to do that he had to come into a realization that “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people. [Nelson quotes] Armed with the strength that he found in reading William Henley’s “Invictus,” Mandela’s steps towards unity amongst all were phenomenal. [Henley]

There were leaders and philosophers fighting to abolish the idea of white rule in South Africa, but few had their voice heard and accepted. Although, initially committed to non-violent protest, he couldn’t prove to people of the government’s cruel ruling. The next step, Mandela and some others in the ANC (African National Congress) tried other seditious actions including the demolishment of government buildings and homes of government officials. From the government and many people’s views this was terrorism. Terrorism: “The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people”. ["terrorism"] This act was certainly not terrorism, in that the group had no such intentions of hurting people, but having their voice heard. One might take into consideration that although not the be...

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... true leader and sets an icon for the future; to have their voice heard.

All in all, a leader must be benevolent, ready to sacrifice, and forgiving. Nelson Mandela illustrated this by risking his life for his belief despite knowing the consequences in going to jail, fighting for his people, and forgiving all of his enemies. Mandela’s views were mirrored by Malcom X’s, who advocated that African Americans achieve liberation “by any means necessary”. Yet, the essential difference between the two figures is that Mandela, once he came to power, forgave all of his enemies and in doing so achieved a unity between blacks and whites. This proves that a forgiving leader is most likely to achieve peace. The poem, “Invictus” summarizes Mandela’s empathy and core beliefs and puts him on a pedestal in history, “[he is] the master of [his] fate: [he is] the captain of [his] soul.