Today is Nelson Mandela's birthday. This quote is from today's Writer's Almanac.
"He spent 27 years in prison,
but refused to carry a grudge against his captors. He later said of his release
from prison, "As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to
my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still
be in prison."
He also said: "A good head and good heart are always a
formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then
you have something very special."
"Prison" pops up again. Yesterday it was Alexander Hamilton saying that prejudice and ignorance imprisoned. Today it's Nelson Mandela "I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison." That's quite an accomplishment for someone wrongly imprisoned for 27 years. He refused hatred and bitterness becasue he recognized that they hurt him not his captors
All this make me reflect on my prisons. What grudges do I harbor? What are my prejudices? When I discussed prejudice with my students at Noble Academy I used the definition that 'prejudice is non-factual opinion.' The students had a good grasp of the difference between fact and opinion so that definition resonated with them. Often prejudice and racism are linked but that's only one form of non-factual opinion. Openness to others can be a reality check on our prejudices. Early in my ministry Addie Vig challenged me on my defensiveness. She was courageous enough to give me a great gift.
When COVID shut down the school systems in March, I was working with a group of 8th graders at Noble Academy in Brooklyn Park. With some in the group we'd been together for 5 years. Noble only serves students through grade 8, so I would have had to say goodbye to them this spring. With COVID school closed so quickly there were no 'goodbyes.'
Takk for alt,
Al
All this make me reflect on my prisons. What grudges do I harbor? What are my prejudices? When I discussed prejudice with my students at Noble Academy I used the definition that 'prejudice is non-factual opinion.' The students had a good grasp of the difference between fact and opinion so that definition resonated with them. Often prejudice and racism are linked but that's only one form of non-factual opinion. Openness to others can be a reality check on our prejudices. Early in my ministry Addie Vig challenged me on my defensiveness. She was courageous enough to give me a great gift.
When COVID shut down the school systems in March, I was working with a group of 8th graders at Noble Academy in Brooklyn Park. With some in the group we'd been together for 5 years. Noble only serves students through grade 8, so I would have had to say goodbye to them this spring. With COVID school closed so quickly there were no 'goodbyes.'
Takk for alt,
Al
 |
| Some of those 8th graders. |
No comments:
Post a Comment