Can we learn from the life Mandela lived?

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more 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 I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.

 – Nelson Mandela

 Hi everyone,

I felt saddened yesterday by the news that Nelson Mandela had died. I am sure many of you felt the same way. Death at age 95 reflects a full lifetime lived, yet for many of us we feel the loss deeply for many reasons. One of them being this world ’s current pervasive deep void when it comes to consistent wise leadership. We long for the one(s) we can look to, feel inspired, assured and guided by. It brings back to mind wise words I have heard in the past from Dave Berceli. I will paraphrase. Only by being willing to sit with the challenge, the difficulty, the question, and the pain, waiting for answer to make itself known, do wise elders such as Mandela get created.

Can we learn from the life Mandela lived? Can we find ways in the coming year to come together differently, supporting one another to stay with painful uncertainties until new and better answers arrive?

I hope so.

In the meantime, we are very excited about the events planned for 2014 and want to give you a sneak peak at them. They are listed below.

Warmly,

Barbara English
Founder & Executive Director, Living Ubuntu
http://livingubuntu.org
(949) 891-2005

[Ubuntu] n. Every human being truly becomes a human by means of relationships with other human beings.

::: 2014 LIVING UBUNTU EVENTS :::

April 2014 Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month
Remembering the Past toward Healing our Future: A six event commemorative film series featuring the stories of survivors and their children

• April 1 Rwanda, Soka University
• April 3 Cambodia, Golden West College
• April 17 Sudan, UCI
• April 23 Bosnia, CSULB
• April 24 Armenian, Concordia University
• April 29 The Holocaust, Chapman University
  All events will take place in the evening, more info soon.

 Phase 3: Trauma Recovery for East African Refugees in San Diego

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