The Oppressor and the Oppressed must both be Liberated - Nelson
Mandela
I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and
generosity. 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. Even in the grimmest times in prison, when my
comrades and I were pushed to our limits, I would see a glimmer of humanity in
one of the guards, perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure me
and keep me going. Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never
extinguished.
It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of
my own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people, white and black. I
knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as
surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man's freedom is a
prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and
narrow-mindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's
freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The
oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.
When I walked out of prison, that was my mission, to liberate the oppressed
and the oppressor both. Some say that has now been achieved. But I know that
that is not the case... We have not taken the final step of our journey, but the
first step on a longer and even more difficult road. 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. The true test of our devotion to freedom is just
beginning.
About the Author: From Nelson Mandela's autobiography: Long Walk to
Freedom.
