Nelson Mandela's Legacy

I'm sure everyone has already heard the news of the passing of Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest revolutionaries of the twentieth century. He completely changed South Africa. He fought apartheid before fighting apartheid was cool. (Yes, that makes him a hipster.) He used his power and influence to change the way the world as a whole viewed racial segregation. He made a huge difference! Now, he has passed away and can't add any more to his legacy. Sound familiar?

Although the Ammal was officially voted off the island, we haven't really talked about how his philosophy fits in with Kohelet's conclusion. Maybe it's obvious. Maybe it's not. Anyway, at the start of Kohelet, the Ammal's major issue with the world at large was that, as hard as he tried, he could not achieve perfection and any perfection he achieved in this life would end with his death. To the Ammal, death was the great equalizer when he wanted to rise above normal men. It was also his fatal flaw as all of his hard work ended in his death. Part of this was the fact that he didn't feel that he had a proper heir. While Shlomo did have way too many wives and most likely way too many children as well, he didn't feel like any of them were worthy of being his heir. Actually, G-d didn't find it appropriate. G-d told Shlomo that the kingdom would be split and that everything he tried to build up would crumble. In that moment, the Ammal's philosophy was born. In summary, Shlomo's most pressing concern was his legacy. Would people remember him? Would people know what he did and what he achieved?

As a teenager living a good two thousand five hundred years after Shlomo, it is hard for me to understand his concern. In the modern world, even the non-religious know Shlomo's name and what he accomplished as king. No, the world didn't forget him after his death. In fact, he is one of the best-remembered men in all of history.

Fast forward to 1964, when Nelson Mandela was tried for treason against the apartheid government and sentenced to life imprisonment. During his 27-year imprisonment, Mandela became a symbol of resistance against apartheid. During those years, he probably thought that he would die in prison and that the movement that he had promoted would die with him. This is not how history ultimately played out. Mandela was incredibly lucky to have lived to see the anti-apartheid movement take on a life of its own. The people carried on his legacy. He was even elected president of the newly integrated South African government. This incredible achievement was his "building" and he came close to achieving perfection. Now that he's gone, he will surely be remembered. 

What's the take-home lesson here? Striving for progress is good. Working towards a goal is great. Achieving the goal is ideal, although it does not often happen in one's lifetime. Finally, don't worry about your legacy; if you make a big enough impact on the world, you will be remembered.