And Happy Nelson Mandela International Day to everyone!
In November 2009, the UN General Assembly declared 18 July "Nelson Mandela International Day" in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom.
General Assembly resolution A/RES/64/13 recognizes Nelson Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity, in the fields of conflict resolution, race relations, the promotion and protection of human rights, reconciliation, gender equality and the rights of children and other vulnerable groups, as well as the upliftment of poor and underdeveloped communities. It acknowledges his contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.
When I was in school I took a Christian Traditions class, and the question came up, not even from me, about why if God was talking to Abraham all the time that He seemed to be so silent at this point, totally removed from things. The teacher, an English woman named Mrs. England--I swear it--was wonderful but gave the very unsatisfying answer that clearly God wanted a different relationship with human beings in this era.
ReplyDeleteSo it's great, doing the Buddhist thing, that there is no shortage of real, live Bodhisattvas who keep populating our world. Mandela is one of them. He reflects back to us our own best nature.