7 Powerful Gifts I Received From Nelson Mandela

By Gundi Gabrielle

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It isn’t often that I get as deeply moved as I was during my visit to Robben Island, the notorious prison island off the coast of Cape Town, where Nelson Mandela spent most of his 27 years of incarceration.

I had seen pictures and videos of the infamous courtyard and Mandela’s cell.

I had a basic sense of what it would be like and yet, nothing came even close to the powerful – and very transformative - experience that Robben Island would turn out to be.

I had just started a month long farm sit in the wine region around Cape Town, a little town called Wellington, in close proximity to Paarl, the place best known for Mandela’s “Walk to Freedom”.

While Cape Town has many amazing things to offer, visiting Robben Island and paying my respects to the great “Madiba” had been on my bucket list for many years.

The day started with a boat ride in stunningly beautiful surroundings, seals riding along with us (“Robben” is the Dutch/German word for seals) and even a whale making an appearance in the distance.

I love the ocean and the stunning beauty was a stark contrast to what we were about to see. A sad irony of how such horror could be committed amidst such magnificent beauty.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a former political prisoner at Robben Island who had served with Mandela and was to be our tour guide. A beautiful choice I thought, adding authenticity to an already very intimate experience.

We were first led to “B Section” where Mandela had been kept and visited the courtyard and Mandela’s cell.

While I had heard a lot about the harsh treatment and brutality, the actual story was a lot worse.

B Section was the most horrible in the entire prison, reserved for leaders of the resistance to break them – mentally, physically and emotionally.

Prisoners were no longer addressed by name, but only by a number. Lights were on 24/7 and inmates were not allowed to talk to each other.

In the first decades, there were no showers. Drinking water was brackish and limited to 2 liters per day, despite working all day in the scorching heat.

Instead of a toilet, there was a bucket in each cell. No beds, only minimal sheets, no sugar, no shoes and only short pants as a further form of humiliation (short pants were reserved for boys, not men, in those days).

Beatings and torture were regular occurrences and letters from loved ones arrived with big holes, cutting out most of the text. For the prisoners, this was the cruelest of all punishments.

Medical care was almost non-existent. Prisoners frequently died from incorrect drug application, and tubercolosis and other severe diseases were rampant.

Mandela and his fellow prisoners were forced to work in a limestone quarry for many hours each day – again without shoes, protective goggles or gloves. The sun reflecting blinding light from the lime stone and permanently damaging Mandela’s eyes.

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Witnessing all this should have made for a haunting, difficult day – and it certainly was on some level. But most of all, it left me deeply moved and somehow transformed through the beautiful example Mandela gave us – despite all the horror.

He endured all this for almost 30 years, the best years of his life – unthinkable really. 

And yet.... came out loving and forgiving.

While there is a lot of disagreement and animosity in this highly unusual country, the one thing everyone agrees on is the greatness of Mandela and the love everyone feels for him.

What I walked away with were 7 powerful, and very transformative insights – “gifts” – as I call them from a great soul, a beautiful man. One that changed the course of history through kindness and forgiveness.

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1 – The Power of Perspective

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Hearing about the cruelty Mandela and his fellow prisoners endured, the complete de-humanization and hopelessness for almost 30 years, while being in the place where it all happened, put my own life very much into perspective.

I didn’t have much to complain about at the time, but there were certainly other, more difficult times as we all experience in life, and yet, they were small in comparison.

It is really a matter of perspective. 

Problems are a part of life. They are the spice of life to some degree. keeping things interesting and helping us grow. In the larger scheme of things they usually don’t matter all that much and most problems are quickly forgotten.

These men had real problems – and yet, they found a way to survive and come out stronger!

I try to apply this in my daily life. When there is a problem or frustration I think of what Mandela went through for 27 years and usually that is enough to put things into perspective and focus instead on being grateful for what I have.

The Power of Perspective.

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2 – The Power of Learning

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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” 

– Nelson Mandela

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Verbal communication between Mandela and his fellow prisoners was prohibited at Robben Island, which in itself is a form of torture.

To feed their starving minds, the prisoners would each post information on the wall of a small cave in the limestone quarry where they were forced to work seven days a week in the glaring sun.

They called it “The University of Life”.

Everyone wrote a sentence of whatever knowledge they had on the wall for the others to read and educate themselves. Anything, to keep their dying spirits engaged and active.

Eventually, through the intervention of the international red cross, prisoners were allowed to participate in distant learning programs and even obtained university degrees, but during those first dark decades, it was a little cave in a limestone quarry, that kept their spirits alive, and gave them a sense of purpose and hope.

“An idle mind is the Devil’s workshop” is an old saying. Yet, these men did anything they could to keep their minds active and alert.

For me, it was a strong reminder of the power of learning and education, and how important it is to properly guide that mind and keep it active.

Whatever we feed it (or not) will influence the course of our lives and how we handle challenges when they come.

A mind well-trained to keep a positive focus, rather than getting lost in endless cycles of negativity and angry repetitions, will be much better suited to withstand the throngs of despair and sadness when life deals us a serious blow as happens to everyone at some point or other.

Keeping their minds active and that eagerness to learn, seemed to have helped Mandela and his fellow prisoners to not give up and maybe even see a larger purpose in their situation.

It distracted them – even if briefly – from utter despair, pain and hopelessness and helped to get through yet another day until they could find the next lesson on the wall and could share their knowledge again.

"The University of Life"...

What a beautiful name, and what a beautiful example of the power of the human spirit.

The Power of Learning.

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3 – The Power of Vision

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‘The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days’. 

– Nelson Mandela

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Having a vision, a purpose – the strong sense of a mission – is probably the most powerful agent of change.

Yes, it took almost 30 years for Mandela. Years spent in hopelessness and despair.

And yet, it seems he was driven by a greater purpose. By a knowledge deep within that in the end, freedom would prevail and it would all have been worth it.

During my visit to Robben Island I often wondered how anyone could survive such horror and for so many years. It seemed super human, but I realized that these men – those that did not die or loose their minds – had a purpose and they clung to it with all their life, with every fiber of their being.

It had to be something much larger than just their own miserable existence and I realized it was that sense of purpose.

That mission in life, and the understanding that in order for the vision to become a reality they had to stick around, no matter how painful it was. To be beacons of light and courage in a world of utter darkness.

They gave hope to their fellow countrymen simply by staying alive. The brutal tactics of the Apartheid regime did not break their spirits as was the intention. It made them stronger and even greater symbols of hope and freedom than they would have ever been outside a prison.

The Power of Vision.

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4 – The Power of the Human Spirit

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“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” 

– Nelson Mandela

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If Robben Island stands for anything, it is the power of the human spirit. The power to survive, to stand up for what you believe in and pay the ultimate price.

It seems that some people cannot be broken, no matter what happens to them. And clearly, Mandela had cultivated a mindset that kept him focused “toward the sun”, moving forward one step at a time and not allowing himself to give up, no matter what.

He was somehow able to arouse an inner strength and focus that kept him going throughout all these years.

Not many people would have had that kind of strength. Most of us would have probably given up – and it would have been understandable.

But Mandela kept going, kept a positive focus and an iron determination to not ever give up – under any circumstances.

The Power of the Human Spirit.

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5 – The Transformative Power of Suffering

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"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."

– Nelson Mandela

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Robben Island made me aware of the transformative power of suffering. In Mandela’s case taking on extreme measures. I don’t know what kind of man he was before his imprisonment, but it is clear that after his release he became an example of kindness, generosity, deep wisdom and love.

It seems, there are three ways to respond to extreme suffering:

1. Clinging to hatred and taking revenge one day.
2. Giving up: loosing one’s mind or physically die.
3. Shedding all resentment and hatred => "crystallizing" to the true core of one’s being, because the weight of anger and hatred have become too unbearable.

It is the rarest of human beings who achieves the latter state and can then become a carrier of light and hope around the world.

The extreme suffering Mandela experienced for so many years, seems to have melted away all outer mantles of hatred and aggression and when nothing else was left, his pure essence shone through like a beautiful crystal, a beacon of light, inspiring millions to this day.

In no way do I mean to imply that such extreme suffering – or any suffering – should ever be necessary, "deserved" or “good”. – Far from it!

But it seems to have been part of Mandela’s destiny, transforming him from a courageous leader of the resistance into one of the greatest, most influential agents of change in human history.

The Transformative Power of Suffering.

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6 – The Power of Forgiveness

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One of the most beautiful results of this transformation was Mandela’s power to forgive.

He famously said:

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”

- Nelson Mandela

Not only are these some of the most beautiful words ever spoken, but they also point to a deep understanding of what freedom truly is:

“Forgiveness liberates the soul; it removes fear. That’s why it’s such a powerful weapon.”

– Nelson Mandela

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Forgiveness is really a synonym for Freedom.

While we might seem free on the outside, unless we let go of all resentment, hatred or bitterness, we will never truly be free.

“Holding on to resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die”

- Buddha

This quote, often attributed to the Buddha, is even more succinct.

The power to forgive is the ultimate freedom, and Mandela understood that. Probably learned the hard way after 27 years of unjust imprisonment.

There will never be freedom without forgiveness. It is the final step – and the most beautiful.

I had never understood this as clearly as on that extraordinary day when I visited Robben Island and this quote once again popped into my mind.

I consider it the most beautiful gift he gave me – and to all of us:

Forgive and be free – once and for all!

The Power of Forgiveness.

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7 – The Power of Love

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"It was this desire for the freedom of my people to live their lives with dignity and self- respect that animated my life, that transformed a frightened young man into a bold one, that drove a law-abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family-loving husband into a man without a home.

I'am no more virtuous or self-sacrificing than the next man, but I found that I could not even enjoy the poor and limited freedoms I was allowed when I knew my people were not free.” 

– Nelson Mandela

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Once again, I am reminded of how universally beloved Mandela is. All over the world, but also in South Africa - and by people of all races.

During my three months of traveling in South Africa - one of the most breathtakingly beautiful countries I've ever been to - I frequently asked people of various backgrounds how they felt about Mandela and the current state of things.

While I will not cover the latter part, the one thing everyone agreed on, was the love and admiration – and deep gratitude – each felt for Mandela.

He gave love, forgiveness and hope, and changed the fate of a nation that was about to fall into the throngs of a civil war.

He had given so much love to his people, had sacrificed so much for them, that they were willing to follow him, even when many wanted revenge and bloodshed.

Such is the power of love and sacrifice to transform the fury and rage of millions into hope and optimism for a better future.

Like Mahatma Gandhi who convinced his countrymen to do the unthinkable, it was the great "Madiba" leading by example – the example of love – bringing about a transformation and change that few had thought possible only a few years before.

Sacrifice is another synonym for love and the ultimate sacrifice Mandela made – and was happy to make because he loved his people so much – transformed everyone around him - as only love can...

The Power of Love!

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Thanks for letting me share this beautiful experience. I would love to know which of these 7 Gifts touched YOU the most?

Tell us in the comments and share your thoughts:

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