RIP Nelson Mandela

[Lamplighter]

The talking heads on tv are asking reporters in South Africa to judge the mood in the country.
The replys are what you might expect... too early to judge, etc.

I don't believe they have lost their leader.
I believe the mood is really "proud".
He was a truly great man, and will be proudly remembered


My life and career were actually changed by the man,
... even though I have never been to South Africa.
When a colleague of mine said she was going to take her sabbatical leave in Johannesburg,
I actually questioned why she would want to use her training to help the apartheid government.
She went, and a year later we had several coffee-conversations about her experiences there.
As the early 90's went by, we saw this man peacefully change his country.

It changed me too, and had a lot to do with my ideals and values today.