Recently the world has been celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela, and mourning his death.

Perhaps more than any other character in modern history Nelson Mandela has captured the world’s attention, respect and admiration for his resistance to the oppression of racism and hatred. His devotion to democracy, equality and learning has been unwavering.

According to the Mandela Foundation,

“Despite terrible provocation, he never answered racism with racism. His life has been an inspiration to all who are oppressed and deprived; to all who are opposed to oppression and deprivation.”

He stated during his trial for sabotage in 1964,

He was then sentenced to life in prison.

During his incarceration his mother and son died; he was denied the opportunity to attend their funerals. He also spent 3 months in hospital with tuberculosis.

He was released in February of 1990 after serving 26 years of his life sentence.

In 1993 he and President FW de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1994 he was inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected President. He stepped down in 1999 after one term as President and continued to work with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund he had set up in 1995. He also established the Nelson Mandela Foundation and The Mandela Rhodes Foundation. He became a global ambassador for freedom and human dignity.

He once stated,

“We were expected to destroy one another and ourselves collectively in the worst racial conflagration. Instead, we as a people chose the path of negotiation, compromise and peaceful settlement. Instead of hatred and revenge we chose reconciliation and nation-building.”

This is what I believe was Mr. Mandela’s greatest accomplishment, the one that led to all others…

He chose to be a victor, not a victim.

A victim chooses to stay enslaved by unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred, resentment and vengeance. A victor chooses to forgive and keep moving forward in the struggle against oppression toward a greater good.

Nelson Mandela’s life is really a testimony to the sentiments conveyed by Victor Frankl, a holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning,

“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.”

Nelson Mandela understood this and chose forgiveness, reconciliation and nation-building. He was a victor who chose to overcome the oppressions set against him and his people, and work toward a greater good.

His choice to be a victor and not a victim is an inspiration to all leaders. For you see, we are all opposed. Anyone who has chosen to lead understands that we often wear a target on our backs. Leaders are targets for criticism and judgement at best, vitriol and hatred at worst.

No matter what decision you make there is often criticism by someone for the decision itself, or how it was made, or how it was communicated. We all have to deal with C.A.V.E. Dwellers from time to time – “Citizens Against Virtually Everything”.

Don’t let those who oppose you, those who seek to undermine and harm you, ‘force’ you into bitterness, resentment and hatred. Choose not to be a victim, but a victor. Choose forgiveness and continue on in the passion of your purpose. Those who oppose you cannot determine your attitude – that choice is yours alone. Remember, your greatest freedom is to choose your attitude in any given circumstance.

Nelson Mandela was indeed a great man and a great leader. Why? Because he exercised the greatest freedom he had – he chose to be a victor and not a victim.

The choice is yours: Will you be a victor or a victim? Our world is in desperate need of more victors…