Nelson Mandela and the Qualities of an Inspirational Person (WD)

Dear Jake,

When we meet others who we think might be living in-Spirit, we must ask the following questions: Do they seem to have a rapturous heart, sending out signals that they love the world and everyone in it? Are they jubilant about the work they do? Do they see the world as a friendly place? Are they at peace with themselves? Do they appear to be kind rather than judgmental? Are they confident without being boorish? Do they tend to be cheerful? Do they love to play? Are they elated to be in the company of young children as well as older people? Do they listen rather than lecture? Are they willing to be students as well as teachers? Do they love nature? Are they in awe of the world? Do they express rational humility? Are they approachable? Do they take great pleasure in serving others? Do they seem to have tamed their ego? Do they accept all people as equals? Are they open to new ideas? The answers to these questions will help us ascertain whether another person is potentially an inspiring influence in our life. Those who have the gift of inspiration exude something that’s difficult to pin down intellectually, yet is undeniably recognizable in how we feel in their presence: We can sense that they’re aligned with the Source Energy from which we all originate. We perceive a place within them that resonates deeply within ourselves—a vibrational recognition of inspiration—and they have much to offer us. We recognize their high spiritual energy, which longs to be active in our life. When we feel this resonance, it’s reflected in a feeling that’s similar to a warm, soothing shower that’s running deep within us. Nelson Mandela In 1999 I was invited to South Africa to lecture to some public audiences. While in Cape Town, I took the ferry over to Robben Island to visit the prison where Nelson Mandela had been incarcerated for so many years. (I actually visited at the time of the tenth-anniversary celebration of his release.) Here was a man who spent more than 27 years of his life imprisoned—he wasn’t even allowed visitors because he was a vocal opponent of a system of apartheid, in which an entire race of people were declared by law to be inferior and unworthy of the same privileges as the remaining citizens of the country. And he worked all day in a limestone quarry, where the burning sunlight glared so against the white rock that his eyes became mere slits due to the squinting that he was forced to practice in order to survive. I spent 30 minutes in that quarry and my eyes stung all day—imagine what years of such exposure would wreak. Mandela went deep within himself, and when he was finally released, he came out with forgiveness and reconciliation in his heart. His staying in-Spirit was the force behind the dismantling of apartheid and his ultimate election to the presidency of an emerging democracy of South Africa a few years later. As I meditated in the prison outside of this great man’s cell, I felt the warm inner shower I described earlier in this chapter. Then I was handed an autographed copy of his book Long Walk to Freedom, which I treasure. Nelson Mandela conveyed the spiritual energy of love, peace, kindness, and tolerance during all of his travails, and this spiritual energy provided a blueprint that changed the face of Africa—and the world—forever. Yes, he inspired me!