Vele kindjes zijn wellicht vanochtend wakker geworden na 'n nacht vol spanning, vol verbeelding, vol verwachting ook ... Gisteravond hun schoentje gezet, en vanochtend al dat lekkers, en uitgerekend dat favoriete stuk speelgoed dat ze de Sint gevraagd hadden. De goedheilige man uit Spanje heeft ondanks de aanhoudende economische crisis in eigen land, gelukkig zijn job niet verloren. Voor zijn Zwarte Pieten was het kantje boord dit jaar ... Maar ook voor hen kwam het -gelukkig- zo ver niet.
Sinterklaas ... het mooiste aan verbeelding dat er bestaat in 'n mensenleven, het mooiste wat er is in het onschuld-zijn van 'n kind. Of hoe ik me mijn eigen verbeeldingen herinner aan deze dagen.
Ik gun het ze ... die brave kindjes van de wereld, van harte.
De Sint bracht niks dit jaar ... zelfs geen roe ! Dan zal ik toch zò stout niet geweest zijn ...
Maar op deze Sinterklaasdag, sta ik toch even stil, ze het tv-toestel even uit om alle nieuwsuitzendingen op alle mogelijke internationale zenders even monddood te maken.
Wekenlang al zat het eraan te komen, en gisteravond was het plots zo ver ... een post op Facebook van www.deredacatie.be "Breaking: Nelson Mandela overleden".
Een levende legende had zijn laatste adem uitgeblazen. Een levend voorbeeld voor de mensheid en de wereld.
Een natie verloor zijn vader - een volk zijn verlosser. Madiba was niet meer.
Vandaag of beter gisteren is dan ook 'n dag voor de geschiedenis, terecht. En vele meningen en reacties zullen gepost en genoteerd worden, across the globe.
Ik heb er vanmorgen bij de ontbijttafel mijn eigen, persoonlijke bedenking bij geformuleerd ...
Na 27 jaar gedwongen en eenzame opsluiting omwille van zijn idealen (gelijke rechten voor zwart Afrika) koesterde de 71-jarige Mandela geen haat noch wrok en was hij vastberaden de verzoening te bereiken. Met de geboorte van het nieuwe democratische Zuid-Afrika realiseerde hij zijn droom. In de galerij van de allergrootsten bevond zich één lege niche net boven de allergrootste wereldleiders en vrijheidsvechters voor de mensheid, die plek is nu ingenomen door Madiba. Hij was én zal een voorbeeld blijven voor de gehele wereldbevolking.
Madiba overstijgt mijns inziens veruit Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, en zovele andere "groten" ... En ik kan het niet beter verwoorden zoals mijn grote rockidool, Paul Hewson -Bono dus- het overlijden omschreef, ik had 'n zelfde bedenking en gevoel ... Als hij al bestaat, als hij überhaupt al bestaat -als christen geloof ik het wel maar ik respecteer diegenen die er 'n andere mening/overtuiging op nahouden-, wel dan ... dan ben ik er rotsvast van overtuigd dat Mandela in Zijn buurt kwam. En uitgerekend dàt, uitgerekend dàt is de reden waarom hij net boven de allergrootsten staat.
Bono verwoordde het zo, letterlijk: Stubborn til the end for all the right reasons, it felt like he very nearly outstared his maker. Today, finally, he blinked. And some of us cry, knowing our eyes were opened to so much because of him."
Gisteren was voor ZIJ en mezelf ook 'n bijzondere dag, maar daar kom ik later wel op terug.
Vandaag ruim ik plaats, het hoofd diepgebogen, de ogen betraand, knowing my eyes were opened to so much because of him.
Slaapwel Madiba, dankbaar dat je leefde - je bent voor mij dè allergrootste van de allergrootsten ... by far.
De quotes van Mandela en enkele reacties hieronder zijn 'n eerbetoon, en bewijs wat 'n impact deze man had op de wereld, en de mensheid.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." (Nelson Mandela)
"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again." (Nelson Mandela, 1994)
"I have walked the long road to Freedom. But I have discovered that after Climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more great hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities and I dare not linger my long walk is not yet ended" (Nelson Mandela)
"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others" (Nelson Mandela)
Pres. Barack Obama: "At his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Today, he has gone home. And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages.
The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set, and so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him.
We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.
For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived -- a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice."
Bill Clinton: "I will never forget my friend Madiba."
Chelsea Clinton: "My thoughts and prayers are with Graça Machel & the Mandela family. We are all the richer for Madiba's extraordinary life."
Bono: "Mandela played with the highest stakes. He put his family, his country, his time, his life on the line, and he won most of these contests. Stubborn til the end for all the right reasons, it felt like he very nearly outstared his maker. Today, finally, he blinked. And some of us cry, knowing our eyes were opened to so much because of him."
Oprah Winfrey: "He was everything you've ever heard and more – humble and unscathed by bitterness. And he always loved to tell a good joke. Being in his presence was like sitting with grace and majesty at the same time. He will always be my hero. His life was a gift to us all."
Muhammad Ali: "He made us realize, we are our brother's keeper and that our brothers come in all colors. What I will remember most about Mr. Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge."
Tiger Woods: "You will always be in my heart Mr. Mandela."
Paul Simon: "He conceived a model for mortal enemies to overcome their hatred and find a way through compassion to rebuild a nation based on truth, justice and the power of forgiveness. His passing should reignite a worldwide effort for peace."
Samuel L. Jackson: "Never met a better person in my life than Nelson Mandela. My sympathy to his family & his country."
Elon Musk: "Rest in peace, Nelson Mandela. A man both good and great."
Jimmy Carter: "His passion for freedom and justice created new hope for generations of oppressed people worldwide, and because of him, South Africa is today one of the world's leading democracies."
Morgan Freeman: "Nelson Mandela was a man of incomparable honor, unconquerable strength, and unyielding resolve---a saint to many, a hero to all who treasure liberty, freedom and the dignity of humankind. As we remember his triumphs, let us, in his memory, not just reflect on how far we've come, but on how far we have to go."
Richard Branson: "Today we lost not only a great man; we also lost one of the world's greatest leaders."
Russell Simmons: "Nelson Mandela was an angel walking on this earth. You were one the greatest teachers this world has ever known. We love you and we miss you"
Bill Gates: "Every time Melinda and I met Nelson Mandela, we left more inspired than ever. His grace and courage changed the world. This is a sad day."
Whoopi Goldberg: "I want 2give the world a hug I was told Mandeba just passed. Nelson Mandela R.I.P. Time for a well earned sleep.Condolences to his family"
Barbara Walters: "A remarkable man and an inspiration to all. Remembering #NelsonMandela"
Quincy Jones: "He was the embodiment of the spirit of 'Ubuntu,' which is the belief that the collective is always more important than the individual. As citizens of the world we should all aspire to that ideal, and all that Nelson Mandela's life represented, taking comfort in the knowledge that in so doing we will always stand in the long shadow of his greatness."
Idris Elba: "What an honor it was to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and portray a man who defied odds, broke down barriers, and championed human rights before the eyes of the world. My thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Harvey Weinstein: "One of the privileges of making movies is having the opportunity to immortalize those who have made a profound impact on humanity. We count ourselves unspeakably fortunate to have been immersed in Nelson Mandela's story and legacy."
Desmond Tutu: "He transcended race and class in his personal actions, through his warmth and through his willingness to listen and to empathize with others. He taught us that to respect those with whom we are politically or socially or culturally at odds is not a sign of weakness, but a mark of self-respect."
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