The country of South Africa had been embroiled in severe conflict for nearly 50 years while apartheid, the official government policy of racial segregation, worked its evils on the people. The white supremacy national party controlled the government and legally curtailed the rights of blacks. One can only imagine the cruelty of having your rights stepped on daily and having it all be done legally, because it was simply a policy of the national government.
Nelson Mandela was a voice crying in the wilderness against this corrupt government practice. He was born to a royal family and had the privilege of attending prestigious universities to study law. He led a movement to fight for the rights of the black South African citizens. This ultimately landed him in prison.
Nelson Mandela served time, doing hard labor, at Robben Island and Pollsmoor Prisons. His cell was a damp, concrete 8 foot by 7 foot room, with a straw mat to sleep on and a bucket in the corner. He was permitted one letter and one visitor every 6 months. His days were spent breaking rocks into gravel. Nelson endured these harsh conditions while 27 of the supposed best years of his life were being drained away. How would you have dealt with this unfair imprisonment? The average person in these circumstances would have spiraled into depression and a negative attitude, leaving them embittered for life. Nelson Mandela did not do this. He did not spend 27 years thinking about his circumstances or problems with being imprisoned, he spent 27 years thinking about what he would do with his life when he got out of his imprisonment.
The national community lobbied for Nelson’s release and in time new government officials recognized the need for change. Upon his release, Nelson Mandela worked with the government that had caused him so much grief to negotiate more peaceful relations between the white and black citizens of South Africa. The nation moved towards holding its first multi-racial government elections.
Nelson Mandela was elected president in 1994 and was left with the challenge of trying to bring about a peaceful government that would be all-inclusive of whites and blacks working side by side. After nearly 50 years of apartheid, there was a great deal of hatred and animosity to overcome.
The movie, Invictus, highlights one of Nelson’s key leadership decisions to try and bring the nation together. He predicted that if their national rugby team could rise to win the Rugby World Cup, it would give the nation a common goal to rally behind. One of the scenes from the movie, shows President Mandela entertaining a visit from the Team Captain of the Springboks, the South African rugby team.
After exploring the topic of leadership with the team captain, he asks, “how do you inspire your team to do their best? How to get them to be better than they think they can be? How do we inspire ourselves to greatness and everyone else around us, when nothing else will do?” He follows up these questions with a great statement, “we must all exceed our own expectations.” This is profound.
Nelson explains that he found inspiration in the words of others. The words he mentions are from a Victorian poem titled Invictus. He states that when he was facing all those days in prison and when he had times that all he wanted to do was lay down, he would read this poem for inspiration to keep going. Invictus is Latin for "unconquered". The poem is four short stanzas that describe facing black nights, hard circumstances, bludgeoning that bloody the head, wrath and tears, menace of years, and punishments, but in all these situations, the writer has maintained an unconquerable soul. He has remained unbowed, unafraid, and he is still the captain of his soul.
Whether you look to a poem, a song, biographies of great people, or the Bible, you need to find those words that give inspiration in hard times and help you become more than you think you can be. We must all exceed our own expectations. Our eyes are small and we need help to see big things. What are you reading right now to help you look beyond your own mirror and see the possibilities of greatness that are within you?
