Invictus

It has been a while since I blogged. I guess blogging is a channel for me to express my built up inner feelings, therefore I don't always blog...

I just watched a movie yesterday. Invictus. A movie with a blend of the aftermath of apartheid and rugby in South Africa. What struck me the most was the poem Invictus. Nelson Mandela was in jail, on an island for 27 years. His life was horrible, and he had every reason to give up on anything to achieve. However it was Invictus that kept him going.

I won't recite the whole poem here, but just the last two lines.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Two simple lines with simple words. It got Mandela through the 27 years.

Following his election as president, he wanted to build a 'rainbow nation', where white and black South Africans will live in harmony. He suffered for 27 years and yet he was willing to forgive the white people who put him in jail and seek their help in rebuilding the country. That is a very respectable attitude.

I won't go into the details of the movie. The thought that the movie left me was 'If someone suffered for 27 years and yet was willing to forgive and fight for a better life, what gives me the right to hold grudges and give up on anyone and anything?'

The person I look up to will always be my father. Nelson Mandela is a close second.

Seek inspiration from within yourself. Be inspiration.