Reality Check : Invictus & Remembering Reconciliation
I thank whatever gods may be.
For my unconquerable soul.
I am the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my soul.
The words of British poet William Ernest Henley find themselves at the center of Clint Eastwood’s latest film Invictus. It’s the story of Nelson Mandela’s early presidency and the South African rugby team‘s victory in the 1995 World Cup which was held in South Africa.
Invictus is more than just a feel good film about a sports team triumphing against the odds. It is a seamless if simple look at the prejudices that remained in the wake of apartheid, at the challenges of rebuilding a wounded nation and most importantly about the difficulty of being tolerant.
In a world and time where conflicts are numerous and violent, where human beings continue to inflict all sorts of horrors on each other, the truth is that hate is easy.
It’s far less complicated to bear a grudge and to resent those that have wronged us than it is to forgive them or put ourselves in their shoes.
Robben Island where Mandela was held prisoner. http://www.fotosearch.com/CSP206/k2069818/
For this, among other reasons undoubtedly, Nelson Mandela is one of the most extraordinary men of our time. He faced a lifetime of discrimination, he was denied freedom on the most asinine of pretexts for more than two decades and yet he emerged from the experience with a thirst for reconciliation rather than a hunger for vengeance.
Remarkable doesn’t even begin to describe it.
But Mandela is clearly the exception rather than the rule.
To Hate is Human
Conflicts rage on for generations, for centuries even, because most people find it impossible to let go of ancient prejudices; not when they’ve lost loved ones or when their existence and identity is under threat.
And if I’m entirely honest, I can’t always blame them.
A little over a year ago, I was watching an Italian program called Le Iene. They’re known mostly for their satire and humorist content but on this occasion they produced a nearly hour long report about the Israeli offensive in Gaza. One of the images that stuck with me was of a Jordanian doctor comforting a Palestinian woman who had lost her son in one of the Israeli raids.
Gaza Strip
Her grief was stark.
It was tangible.
And despite my degree in international politics and my sincere belief that the cycle of hate and violence has to be broken to achieve peace, I doubt that I would have been able to look that woman in the eyes and tell her she had no right to her hatred or resentments.
Ultimately, to hate is as human as to love.
Resisting the temptation to give into it because we aspire to creating a different paradigm for intercultural relations in the world takes conscious effort and for most of us will remain a struggle.
But it can be done.
The Dawn of A New Era
This is the start of a new decade.
It’s a time to ponder the reality we live in and the future we want to shape.
Invictus reminds us of what Nelson Mandela has contributed to our collective awareness of what human beings can achieve. It’s a reminder that even the most dire differences can be resolved if there is a willingness to do so.
It’s a reminder that history still has much to teach us and that we as a global society still have a lot to learn.
