Happy Birthday, Madiba!

Yesterday, Nelson Mandela woke up and remembered that on this day, he was 90 years old.

Eighty-plus years ago, he was just a black kid in a racist country who lived in a small rural village that no-one had even heard of. He never looked special, really. Just regular, not too big, not too small, no distinguishing marks or features.

Yet this ordinary kid changed the world as we know it.

He fought for noble ideals, making enormous personal sacrifices. And he succeeded greatly. He won the Nobel Peace prize, and was on the cover of Time magazine five times, and all because he turned a major African country about-face from oppression to democracy with skill, love and genius. Everyone has heard of him. So, whenever I see his face gracing the cover of a newspaper or magazine, I search for the story written with cynicism, complete objectivity, and a little pessimism. As we all know, everyone has their supporters and their opponents, their champions and their naysayers. Well, I'm still looking.

Madiba Magic I guess, or perhaps just the presence of a great soul that no-one with honesty and journalistic integrity can deny.

This week I ripped out the Mandela pages from the Time that shows up in my mailbox every week.
Madiba is graciously photographed, radiating calm, self assurance, and the kind of dignity I strive to have one day. The accompanying article sets out to be objective, analytical, written by a seasoned senior editor, who worked with Mandela on his biography, A Long Road to Freedom. His love for this great man begins to peek through from the beginning, and by the end, is undeniable. Another life touched, it seems.

All around the country, there are celebrations, even a big party in England. There are websites. www.happybirthdaymandela.com. where 30 000 people from Tanzania, amongst others from every corner of the earth, wished him well personally. Celebrities, politicians, important folk. And housewives, bakers, electricians, teachers, bus drivers and children. Imagine that.
Take a look at the messages. They will move you. And hopefully, inspire you.

Inspiration for ordinary people, from ordinary towns, with ordinary families and ordinary lives.

Seems like ordinary has the potential to change the world, as we know it.