59. "Let him be the captain of his own soul, the master of his own fate." Farewell, Tata?

So everyone thinks Mandela is going to die. It's all they talk about. Literally between every song on the radio they update South Africans on his status. Everyone is clinging to their phones, their radios, their TVs for the word that he has passed.

"The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela"

Rumors go around that he's on life support. That they might pull the plug on him.

People are criticizing his family for keeping him alive. It's harsh. On the radio one morning while waiting for a farmer to show up to let us into his reserve to treat some buffalo, I heard the host say that they should just let Mandela go, that it's not fair to keep him alive at this point. Then his co-host read the poem Invictus, Mandela's favorite poem (in real life, not just according to the movie).

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul. 

 ~ William Ernest Henley

Then they kept re-reading the last two lines and concluded that it is time to let Mandela be the master of his own fate, the captain of his own soul. It was time to let him go.

On television every night, every commercial break they paused to update the country on his status. And then they would show tributes. The country had basically entered mourning state. It was very strange. 

There is a vibe that everyone is on-edge all the time. Everyone is constantly waiting for that notice on their radio, internet or TV that it will change. But will it change anything? I wonder how long South Africa can sustain this suspense and attention. I think it's not possible to sustain it much longer. Will he pass away while the spotlight is still this crazy? Will he hang on a while longer and the die quietly in his sleep one night when the whole world stops looking? It is so strange that everyone is paying him tribute as if he is already dead but he's still alive. He is worthy of it of course, but it is weird to see and feel. 

What will it mean for South Africa? In reality, he has not done anything himself in the past several years, no public appearances, etc. So nothing should change. Unless it is the idea of Mandela being around, being alive, being present that keeps peace alive in South Africa. It's intense. He is the greatest man alive and his passing will shake the world. But I think it doesn't have to mean chaos and upheaval and strife.

His legacy is one of peace. Yet his family is fighting over his burial ground location and his money. It disgusts me. And as he still clings to life, slowly the attention is shifting towards family scandals over money and fights. It's so sad that someone who was so dedicated to peace has to leave the world amidst this chaos. Can we not sit by and pray for him, for his loved ones, for South Africa's future? Can we not marvel at and thank him for the wonders he performed for this country and the world? Can we not preserve his legacy of peace and hope? Apparently that is too much to ask. 

Read a little bit about his legacy here: http://www.nelsonmandela.org/

The Cape Town Sunday Times' front page headline was "It's time to let him go!" Pretty bold statement.

Mandela is one of my life heroes. It does not matter when he dies, he is one of the greatest people that ever lived. And my hope is that when he dies, the world does not enter chaos and upheaval, but a mourning mingled with joy and hope. Joy at the great things he accomplished. Hope that the world can continue to become a better place and that leaders as good as he will emerge in the future. And I also want either his birthday or death day to be declared a global holiday. Mandela Day or Peace Day or Hope Day or something like that. Something positive and inspirational that will be a tribute to him, a reminder to the tragedies that happen in our world, but a hopeful proof that change is possible if we work for it.

Ok, so that's me being an idealist. Haha!