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Contributed by Steve Goldberg
Nelson Mandela celebrates with his then-wife Winnie shortly after his release from prison on February 11th, 1990 in Paarl, South Africa
This past week marks the 20th anniversary of the release from prison of former South African President Nelson Mandela. You may recall that, after nearly three decades of imprisonment, there was little hope that Mandela would ever be set free. His 1990 release was one of the most surprising and profound Upside moments of the 20th century, one that is often described as the beginning of the end of apartheid. Four years later, Mr. Mandela would become South Africa’s first democratically elected and black president.
Mandela’s historic release from prison holds special significance for me as I had the amazing good fortune to be in the right place at the right time not only to witness it first-hand, but to actually meet him in person!
I was working in Zimbabwe with the World Health Organization at the time of the unanticipated announcement of the impending release by then-President F. W. de Klerk. I happened to be staying at the hotel where Mandela was scheduled to arrive for a hastily-organized state dinner the day after his release. I was right there when Mandela and his wife Winnie were ushered out of their car and escorted along a red carpet through the hotel lobby. It felt like the most powerful event of my life! Yet things became even more amazing from here!
I raced into the hotel elevator to return to my room to call family and friends back home and share the incredible news. The elevator was packed. Looking up, to my amazement I found myself in the company of two friends I had first met in the jungles of Zambia but hadn’t seen in years. Ironically, we had met on a hiking trip at the time they were in training to become photojournalists who would be ready to cover Mandela’s release from prison, if such an unlikely event were ever to occur.
The three of us were overjoyed to be reunited with each other. My friends, who were insiders to the Mandela event in the hotel, told me to get dressed and they would attempt to sneak me into the state dinner about to take place downstairs! They managed to do so and I was able to be part of the most electrifying and historic evening imaginable, culminating with an address from Mandela. I will never forget his talk: he focused his remarks on reaching into our hearts in order to forgive and to let go of the past so that we could be hopeful and optimistic for the future. You could have heard a pin drop in the room while Mandela was speaking.
At the end of the dinner, I met up with my friends and they asked if I would like to meet Mandela. We patiently waited for an opportunity and when it came, they whispered into his ear.
He looked right into my eyes and said, “I heard about you and your time in the jungle with my boys here.”
I returned his smile and told him, “I heard about you as well, Mr. Mandela…welcome home.”
It amazes me that even though 20 years have passed, these events are still fresh in my mind and heart. I have often reflected on the talk Mandela gave that evening and marvel at how truly inspiring it was to hear him feel and express what he did after all the years of pain, isolation, and mistreatment he endured. He is, for me, the authentic embodiment of living on the Upside.
For more on the anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/02/10/mandela.anniversary/index.html
Contributed by Steve Goldberg
“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
I wanted to share a special world wide event that began ten days ago. It is the third annual Winter Feast for the Soul presented virtually around the globe for 40 days from Jan 15th – Feb 23rd, 2010. Winter was chosen for the event because it is recognized as the ideal time to go deep and reconnect with spirit.
The idea for this inspirational event is to have thousands of people join daily in reflection, prayer and meditation through guided online sessions. The organizers believe that the vibration we create has the power to transform our personal lives and our planet.
The event started in 2008 by one woman inspired by a three-line poem by the 13th century poet and mystic Jelaluddin Rumi:
“What nine months does for the embryo
Forty early mornings
Will do for your growing awareness”
There is no prescribed spiritual practice for this event. People are encouraged to use a spiritual practice that brings them peace and stillness. The idea is to set aside 40 minutes daily for spiritual practice with commitment to personal and planetary peace.
For some this may seem like an enormous commitment of time. Rather than focus on the amount of time spent, please consider taking whatever time you can to reflect each day for the next 40 days about finding more personal and global peace in our world.
With all the natural and man-made disasters facing us today, taking time collectively to reflect on what’s possible, rather than what is can be enormously powerful!!
There’s also a beautiful video on You Tube which conveys the vision of this wonderful event. See:
Questions for reflection:
- Do you believe that your personal vibration and the collective vibration of others have transformative power?
- What examples have you seen in your life when your peacefulness has helped to create calmness and resolution to a challenging situation?
Find out more about participating at winterfeastforthesoul.com. On the homepage you will find a link in the upper left titled Online Guided Meditations for 2010. Click on that link and you will open a page with all the meditations that will be offered this year. Click on the links to see the schedule and listen to audio recordings.
Contributed By Steve Goldberg
Six hundred miles from where I winter in South Florida, a huge tragedy continues to unfold. My heart has ached for Haiti for so long. It’s a country fraught with a multitude of problems—significantly compounded with the events of the past week— yet at the same time is a society abundant with resilient, loving, and passionate people.
Each day this week I’ve gone to bed and arisen in the morning feeling disturbed and inadequate. While I wake up each morning to my own life here in the US, my thoughts are with Haiti. It’s weird for me, connecting the two worlds.
I go to the tap for water or to the fridge to start my breakfast and find myself pausing to feel the pain of Haitians who have lost loved ones, or who don’t yet know the fate of their family and friends. Many don’t yet have food, water, or shelter. After pausing, I then push through, making my breakfast, planning my day, and moving on.
Knowing myself and the tendencies of human nature, soon I won’t be pausing for as long. And perhaps soon after that, I won’t be pausing at all. This is the hidden tragedy for me: how to stay awake, how to care and act in meaningful ways in the face of such devastation?
While I don’t yet have much insight into how to do this right now, I suspect others may be feeling similarly.
A website, www.lovebeyondwords.org, had a post the other day that helped me find some perspective:
“The Haitian earthquake of January 12, 2010 has resulted in loss of lives, and unbearable heartache and pain. Looking at the media reports, we cannot help but be moved with compassion. But in the midst of death and destruction we see a glimmer of hope.
Humanity’s ability to love to feel others’ pain and be moved to action is powerful. We can all play a part in helping. We can help on our knees and we can get up and give to our local churches, the Red Cross and other charitable organizations.
As difficult as this is, we see the resolve and determination of the human spirit that refuses to surrender to defeat. Even when faced with immense odds, it is clear from the worldwide outpouring of help, that all that matters is our love for each other”.
If you are moved to financially support Haitian relief efforts, a good place to start is www.CharityNavigator.org, an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates charity groups based on effectiveness and financial stability. The site has a link for Haiti.
Questions for reflection:
- Do you share my challenge in absorbing the impact of tragic global events while moving through the normal activities of your daily life? What have you learned and what suggestions do you have for others?
- What do you do in order to “stay awake” and to care and take action in meaningful ways when tragedy strikes? What about during more “normal times”?
As you may recall, a month or so ago we featured a few new “Upsiders”— Teresa and friends—who live and work in the Philippines.
Recent Flooding in the Philippines
Concerned about the torrential rains and flooding last week in Teresa’s country I sent out a note to her, hoping to connect with her and inquire about her welfare. She wrote back to say that she was okay, but that she is still stranded at her place of work due to the flooding surrounding her home community.
In her words:
“I have been borrowing clothes and things from my good colleagues here, since I have nothing to wear or things to use, but I’m coping and I know we can get through this storm.
It’s very heart warming to know that there are people who care and remember me. Thank You Steve, everyone is starting from scratch again. I’m so touched. I know the sun will shine and we can make it through this.”
I was moved by her response and Upside perspective. Realizing how much she and her friends appreciate knowing that others care, I thought it would be a good idea to dedicate this week’s column to those impacted by the recent typhoon and use this forum as a vehicle to expand this circle of care and concern.
An Invitation
Please join me in sending a brief note of encouragement to Teresa and the thousands of others in her country and the surrounding areas who are in the midst of the recent flooding.
Click here to add your words of support to our forum
Relief efforts: Additionally, we at Upside to the Downturn are making a targeted donation to UNICEF. You are welcome to join us in this endeavor, or to consider helping in whatever way is most appropriate for you.
http://www.unicef.org/emerg/index_51287.html
According to UNICEF, “A convergence of severe natural disasters has left millions of people in distress across Asia and the Pacific this week. Since 26 September, a total of six countries have been hit by flooding, a typhoon, a tsunami and earthquakes.”
“The wise person understands that his own happiness must
include the happiness of others.”
- Dennis Weaver
Meeting Teresa:
If you missed the earlier column featuring Teresa and her friends in the Philippines, you can find it here:
http://upsidetothedownturn.com/2009/08/23/reach-out-and-touch-someone
“Giving is the shortest distance to becoming most alive.”
– Steve G.
This week’s column highlights a short audio file and a 2nd essay from the “This I Believe” series (you can listen or read using the links below) by author Isabel Allende. It focuses on two key Upside to the Downturn principles: building resilience and making a difference in the lives of others.
Allende’s busy life was forever changed when her adult daughter Paula became seriously ill in the early 1990’s and did not recover from a coma. The author shares the insights and life lessons that became clear to her through the journey of taking care of Paula during her illness, grieving her death, and adjusting to life without her.
Her personal message of discovering the essence of love and the purpose of giving is powerful.
P.S. Some of you may not have gotten last week’s column entitled: “Wisdom of a 7 Year Old”. Please click here to listen to an amazing young man.
“In giving, I connect with others.”
– Isabel Allende
Click Here to Listen to ‘In Giving I Connect with Others’ by Isabel Allende
Consider the upside:
Take some time this week to look back on challenging times in your own life, whether these challenges were physical, emotional, financial, or in a relationship with someone else.
- What did you learn about yourself?
- What do you do better or differently as a result?
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