The Passing of a Great Man and even Greater Spirit

My hope, for this most recent development in what is now a benchmark of South African history, is that the passing of Nelson Mandela be viewed as an opportunity for further progression in his name, not further discord between the established political parties and regression from what he dedicated his life to: equality, justice, and progression for a nation and the world.

The global outpouring of love for this man in the days since his passing is unprecedented, at least in my life time.  It is not a "seeming" truth, but a glaringly obvious one, that the virtues Mandela both preached and possessed, are ones the world longs for, both in governmental leadership and citizen  to citizen.

Nelson Mandela's cell of thirty years while imprisoned on Robben Island.  My husband and I had the fortune of being able to step inside and bear witness to this man's resilience and belief.

As we embark on this path toward a globalized future, made more possible each day through things such as the Internet specifically: social media communications such as Facebook and Twitter, what I cannot ignore is the evident universal ethic that is being shared across this world's new wireless boundaries.  This ethic is one of longing, longing for an alternative to war for solving political turmoil, a demand for international mobilization to aid in crises that cross political lines, such as the recent polio epidemic in Syria, and longing for embracing the light side of the human spirit in each and every man, woman, and child.

So what is the gold lining to be found in the passing of a man as noble and magnanimous as Mandela, affectionately known as Madiba (the name of his tribe, Xhosa)?  It is the fact that his physical passing is merely that, but the greatness of his spirit, and the ethic he himself perpetuated will live on, inevitably in the hearts and actions of each person who embraces it in his or her day to day life.  We are not all destined nor purposed to live a life such as that of Madiba.  The capacity to dedicate your life to a cause such as equality for all peoples, regardless of the color of their skin, to be jailed for thirty years on an island prison and not waver in your ambition and fortitude, and to eventually become your nation's President, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and Elder, is not something each individual is born with, nor capable of developing.  This is why such grace is recognized when upheld and maintained in an individual such as Mandela.  We are all capable of seeing it and understanding it.

What each person IS capable of however, is perpetuating kindness, tolerance and empathy in our day to day lives.  These small actions give birth to the possibility of global transformation.  Madiba, Martin Luther King, Gandi, Mother Teresa, these are the greats who pave the way, but we must be the perpetuators, the carriers of their torches once they are gone.  It is the many who stand beside the few, inspired and mobilized, who will create such pressure and force, that the dams of present day ethical confinements such as human trafficking, child labor, oppression of women, and pointless wars have no option other than to burst, so that the waters of purity can flow freely and unhindered

  

On December 30, 2012, the body of a twenty-three year old female Delhi (India) resident, who was brutally gang raped earlier that month, was laid to rest.  She, along with a male companion, were attacked when boarding a bus in the city.  After beating her male friend unconscious, several men proceeded to rape and brutally beat her.  When the offenders were through, they tossed her body, along with her friend's, from the bus, only to fail in their attempt to run them over.  The young woman was hospitalized, and after undergoing several surgeries which failed to assist in her recovery, she was flown to Singapore for specialized care.  There, she died, after going into organ failure.  Her body was then flown back to India and her ashes were scattered across the Ganges river.

What brutality this young woman suffered.  What courage she had to fight back against her attackers when they initially began beating her male companion.  What strength she possessed to fight for so many days as she struggled for her own survival.

This woman, this hero, has remained NAMELESS throughout all of the media attention the story has received, both nationally in India and internationally.  I followed the story for days, wondering why this was.  What was her name?  The only logical reason I could think of, for the press to exercise such diligent and intentional discretion, was out of respect for the victim and her family.

I was shocked and saddened to discover that the reason was due to an Indian law prohibiting the release of a rape victim's identity, not out of respect for her privacy, or to allow her time to heal and recover in peace, but to SHIELD her from the STIGMA that would inevitably be attached to her, should people know what happened.  This law succeeded in shrouding the victim's identity in ambiguity, a right all victims absolutely deserve, but simultaneously it reveals a very disturbing aspect of deeply rooted sexism pervasive in Indian society.  The fact that a woman could be labeled negatively by society after suffering something as brutal and tragic as rape is horrifying.

All too often, crimes against women are ignored or disregarded in India, where they are largely seen as second-class citizens, and nothing more.  The outlawed, but still heavily practiced, custom of dowry in which the woman's family pays the man when arranging marriage, speaks to how far the country has yet to come regarding an actualized egalitarian ethic for its female population.  Ultrasounds have also been outlawed in India because of the increasing likelihood that female fetuses will be aborted because they are not males.  These examples support the fact that violence against women is a systemic issue and one that must be remedied.

As word of this young woman's rape and death spread, the streets in Delhi began to fill, with WOMEN.  They were outraged, and began demanding change.  Their collective voice became so loud that celebrations for the New Year scheduled to be held in various cities, and even that of the ruling Congress Party were toned down or canceled completely.  The question being asked was: how can I as a citizen, and we as a nation, celebrate in the midst of such a cultural crisis.  The fact that this question was not only voiced, but answered is a sign of progression.

The thousands of women who have been brave enough and selfless enough to take to the streets and demand acknowledgement of this injustice, have helped bring light to what has become an epidemic, one that can only be remedied through a cultural shift in perspective and action.  The women of India have inspired the international community and educated them.  Candle light vigils were held for the victim across the world.  The flames shined for both her and the women who are demanding she be the last!

Although tragic, it is all too often crisis and utter heartbreak that FORCE people to look inward and not only give nod to, but address the ills lying deep within.  This is the gold lining.  This is the hope-that from grief will arise inspiration, and that the wayward will give way to progression.

It is 2013, the beginning of a new year.  For many people, the concept of "new" is equivalent to fresh, revitalizing, a new start, and new beginnings.  New=opportunity, uncharted territory in the expansive terrain of life.  I began wondering, not what does this mean for me, this idea of "new", but for the world.  I have come to a single conclusion.  I have found one word out of millions of possibilities that, from my vantage point, sums up the global perspective, and it is HOPE.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where what receives the most press, the greatest amount of media coverage, and the freedom to enter our televisions, computers, phones and minds, is NEGATIVE.  Too often, I find myself succumbing to the darkness that one inevitably feels when confronted with an endless stream of war, rape, murder, coups, political unrest, natural disasters, child exploitation, human trafficking, and the list goes on and on and on.

I, however, want to be extremely well informed.  I want to know and understand the WORLD I live in.  The first thing I do every morning, after brewing coffee, is read the morning's news on BBC.com.  I will not stop doing this because I feel as though knowing what happened today, around the world, makes me a more conscientious, well-informed individual.  Where does the balance lie then?  This was the question I needed to answer, for myself, and I have.

The balance lies right here, in the commitment that I have made to myself and to you by creating this blog, by writing these words.  Here it is: I pledge to always look for the GOLD LINING, and when I find it, to pass it on, right here, right now.  In every story, no matter how dark, I truly believe that there exists a glimmer of hope, and that is the GOLD.  It frames the human existence, and is what allows people who have survived inconceivable loss to keep going, and not only survive but thrive.  I have seen this first hand, time and time again.  For almost ten years now, I have been involved, in one capacity or another, with various refugee population in the United States.  Never have I been so humbled, or inspired, as I was after hearing their stories and witnessing the lives they continue building for themselves here.

So, it is simple.  My plan is to find the GOLD LINING in different stories that I encounter, and to share them with you.  I encourage you to do the same.  I will not argue with the FACT that this world can be a dark and hateful place, but I will not succumb to it by ignoring the HOPE that simultaneously exists with it.  I am choosing to search for that, in everything I see.