Redefining optimism

Most people think optimism is all about blind faith; believing that good things will happen to them even when they laze their days away and continue to indulge their evil streaks. Far from it. True optimism is a discipline that costs much. It is a choice. When you choose to see the best in others, and believe that life will get better, and strive to give the best with the hope of inspiring others to do the same, you are a true optimist.

Nelson Mandela was a bona fide optimist

A search through the archives divulges three authentic optimists: Martin Luther Jr., Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. But for today I will focus on Madiba to help you grasp the doctrine of optimism in its centrality. The mental image I have of him is a towering giant who made you feel at peace by just looking at him. There was something in his bearing that inspired security and a sense of belonging even in the most threatened child.

Madiba said a nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens but its lowest ones. Here the rich and powerful are flown to the best hospitals abroad while most health centres back home are crumbling with neither facilities nor doctors to help the poor. Corruption has eaten its way to the bone marrow of every public institution while the president continues to reappoint the implicated. What optimism do such people inspire?

Mandela's zest for life and buoyant spirit was infectious beyond measure. He believed poverty as was apartheid could be routed by the actions of men. His actions and words lit a fire of courage, hope and strength to those in despairing times, reminding us of what we are capable of if we refuse to let fear hold us down.

Even 27 years of jail-time could not destroy him but made him stronger. Prison was a tool to embitter him but it made him better. "As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom," he said in 1990, "I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I would still be in prison."

I was fascinated by his view that no one is born hating another; that we should focus on teaching to love because love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate. Talk of a true reconciler, forgiver and pacifier. Madiba embodied the true optimist who defies the odds. His life reminds me of Tupac Shakur's poem, "the rose that grew from concrete."