Yesterday, on what would have been Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday, we celebrated Mandela Day. Mandela Day “calls on us all, every day, to make the world a better place. Each year on 18 July we look back on what has been done, and forward to what will be done.” It’s fitting that Mandela Day is described as a “call” rather than a day of remembrance or simply a day of celebration. We are asked not only to remember, but to take action, as Nelson Mandela did, for the betterment of the world.
In today’s world, this call to continue Mandela’s legacy of activism, peace, and social justice is needed more than ever. His life and legacy are a reminder that love is not a passive feeling. Rather, love is active hope. In the spirit of Mandela, to love our fellow global citizens is to stand up for them in the face of injustice in the hope that we will all benefit from others’ ability to rise. To love our country is to act on the values that will make it a more inclusive and a more just place to live. To love our neighbors – friends, family, colleagues, people we’ve never met on the street next to us – is to actively affirm their truths and their stories, to seek relationship, to broker peace when possible.
Mandela Day is also a reminder that acting for peace and justice sometimes requires sacrifice. For Mandela, that sacrifice was nearly three decades in prison for resisting apartheid, but for us, that sacrifice probably looks different. It’s worth asking ourselves, though, what are we willing to sacrifice for?
For many of us, we may answer that we would sacrifice for our families, our friends, our jobs or passions, etc. But who counts as our family? Who counts as a friend? What counts as a job? The way we view the people around us affects how we will act in the world for and with them – and vice versa. Mandela was a global human rights advocate, but he started with his home. Where is home to you, and what actions can you take to make it a better place?
Where is home to you, and what actions can you take to make it a better place? Share on XFor inspiration on actions you can take to make your world a better place, see last week’s Buzz post for inspiration or this week’s Americans of Conscience Checklist. Also consider that your actions today or this week may be actions of self-care. Our current feature series “Taking Care Amid the Chaos” can provide you with tools if you find yourself in need of centering, restoration, and resilience this week. If you’re looking for more corporate social responsibility or philanthropy opportunities, see here for some ideas (and check out Live Inclusively Actualized while you’re at it).
We hope that no matter who or where you are, that you can find a way to honor Nelson Mandela’s legacy, not only this week but every week. Mandela Day is a reminder to all of us to reflect on who we are and what we want to do in the world to make it a better place. Put love into action and Live Inclusively!
Mandela Day is a reminder to all of us to reflect on who we are and what we want to do in the world to make it a better place. What will you do to put love into action and #LiveInclusively ? Share on X
