Whenever I am at a crossroads in my life whether it be at work or home I will often look to the great leaders and humanitarians Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu. You may ask why I have chosen these two men as my true north. If you know their story, then you can understand why when it comes to being a humble leader and learning forgiveness, I strive to mirror the essence of who they were and what they were able to do to not only become better people but to move a nation to change and millions to learn forgiveness. I never had the opportunity to meet these great men of honor before they left this earth, but their stories live on in books I have read and from their own words in videos I have watched.
When I am struggling, and I feel like waving the white flag of surrender I make it a point to watch the 60 Minutes episode with Bishop Tutu talking about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The mission was to move the entire nation of South Africa to forgiveness but to do that the stories of torcher and murder had to be told. They had the victims speak and offered the perpetrators amnesty if they came forward and spoke about their crimes. There must have been some very difficult conversations in the Mandela administration when they decided to do this. I am sure to this day many people did not agree with this, but Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu believe this was the way to healing a nation and begin the journey to healing and unity in their country for generations to come.
I have my thoughts and opinions but that is not the point of what I am writing. It is the fact that Nelson Mandela could say, “I forgive you.” when he was robbed of 27 years of his life. It was the ability of many of the victims to say I forgive you to those who did them harm. It was that these two men decided to move forward with the commission even though they knew most of the people in South Africa would disagree with them, but they believe it was the right thing to do.
How many times have we decided not to do the right thing because it was too hard. I could name many times I made the decision to say nothing because I didn’t want to deal with the consequences. What could be harder than the decisions Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu had to make? My friend and mentor Dr. Donna Hicks talks about how we honor dignity not by just telling people the good things but also to give honest and constructive feedback that will give that person the opportunity to grow. She also talks about the “Mandela Consciousness” which means no one can rob me of my dignity. I work hard to hold true to those dignity principles. It’s my mission and what I strive to do every day.
Nelson Mandela said, “Freedom can never be taken for granted. Each generation must safeguard it and extend it. Your parents and elders sacrificed much so that you should have freedom without suffering what they did. Use this precious right to ensure that the darkness of the past never returns.”
I work to live the life that my mom sacrificed to give me. I work to lead with humility and dignity to honor people like Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu. I sacrifice to build a better world for my children and all future generations.
“Our maturity will be judged by how well we are able to agree to disagree and yet continue to love one another, to care for one another, and cherish one another and seek the greater good of the other.” Bishop Desmond Tutu
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 