Maintaining Mandela's legacy

A statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela was unveiled in Pretoria, South Africa on December 16.Simple changes in everyday behavior can honor Mandela's legacyForgiveness, compassion, humor used by many notable world leadersExpert warns against using Mandela examples as solution for all problems

(CNN) -- As the world says goodbye to Nelson Mandela, the task of ensuring his legacy becomes the world's responsibility.

His life has been described as an evolution from militant freedom fighter, to prisoner, to unifying figure and eventual elder statesman -- in the process winning the hearts and minds of world leaders and average citizens alike.

In his 95 years he accomplished what many thought impossible. Held prisoner for 27 years and later becoming South Africa's first democratically elected president, he practiced reflection, negotiation and incredible stubbornness. His capacity for forgiveness and reconciliation made him one of the most remarkable and respected individuals of modern times.

Whether it's battling racism, offering a helping hand or long-overdue forgiveness, here are several practical suggestions to keep Mandela's legacy alive.

var currExpandable="expand16";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.network='cnnintl';mObj.source='world/2013/12/16/mandela-rises-amanpour.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://www.amanpour.com';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/131216193527-mandela-statue-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand16Store=mObj;var currExpandable="expand26";if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);}var mObj={};mObj.type='video';mObj.contentId='';mObj.network='cnnintl';mObj.source='world/2013/12/16/pkg-damon-mandela-final-resting-place.cnn';mObj.videoSource='CNN';mObj.videoSourceUrl='';mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/131216004750-pkg-damon-mandela-final-resting-place-00015712-story-body.jpg";mObj.lgImageX=300;mObj.lgImageY=169;mObj.origImageX="214";mObj.origImageY="120";mObj.contentType='video';CNN.expElements.expand26Store=mObj;Make the best of your current situation

"It is possible that if I had not gone to jail and been able to read and listen to the stories of many people. ... I might not have learned these things," Mandela once said in 2000 during an interview with the Christian Science Monitor.

He said reading biographies helped him realize problems make some people, while destroying others.

His mother and eldest son both died while he was imprisoned.

While he had ample reason to remain bitter about his mistreatment, instead he wrote in "Long Walk to Freedom," his 1995 autobiography, "Prison is itself a tremendous education in the need for patience and perseverance. It is, above all, a test of one's commitment."

Don't judge a book by its cover

"I have been surprised a great deal sometimes when I see somebody who looks less than ordinary, but when you talk to the person and he (or she) opens his mouth, he is something completely different," Mandela said in the same interview about how his prison experience taught him to respect even the most ordinary people.

Anthony F. Lemieux, an associate professor of communication at Georgia State University in Atlanta said avoiding the temptation to put people in narrowly fixed categories is one of Mandela's greatest legacies.

"People are complex and dynamic, capable of change and evolving," Lemieux said. It would have been easy for Mandela to become and remain jaded after what he had experienced, Lemieux added.

Even for the people who kept Mandela locked up, the former president said they weren't bad people. "Mr Mandela was at pains to point out that not every prison warder or apartheid official was bad. This view was underpinned throughout by his assertion that to get along in life one should see the good in all people," said a Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory statement on a collection of writings about his prison time.

Use your passion to persuade others

"If you have an objective in life, then you want to concentrate on that and not engage in infighting with your enemies," Mandela continued during the interview. "You want to create an atmosphere where you can move everybody toward the goal you have set for yourself."

Remaining focused on a goal despite adversity requires a deep level of commitment. Ask anyone whose ever overcome great odds to achieve their version of greatness.

Lemieux said different situations are going to draw different things out people, but it's never as simple as distilling the experience down to a "type of person." Practically none of us knows how we will react in complex situations and interactions.

Change yourself first

"One of the most difficult things is not to change society -- but to change yourself," Mandela said in 1999 at a tribute to billionaire businessman Douw Steyn, who had made his Johannesburg residence available to Mandela as a retreat after his prison release in 1990.

While Mandela clearly fought for change in the world he lived in, he also changed himself.

While imprisoned, he reflected on his "wild man" behaviors. He also said he neglected to show any gratitude to those who had helped him when he was poor, after he experienced some success as a lawyer.

Lemieux points out his change from violence to peace was profound. Throughout the violence and chaos, ultimately, "It wasn't the violent conflict that led to social change."

Don't be afraid to acknowledge weaknesses

"If you come across as a saint, people can become very discouraged. I was once a young man and I did all the things young men do," Mandela told the Christian Science Monitor.

"In his twilight, Mandela was at pains to publish and acknowledge his weaknesses and shortcomings in his family life, in his relationships with women and his first wife, Evelyn," John Battersby wrote for CNN. "He was keen to dispel any notion of sainthood that might be bestowed on him. To this day, Mandela's weaknesses, his turbulent youth and his sometimes tempestuous relationships with women can still detract from the iconic status that Mandela achieved in his own lifetime.

"But, the responsible airing of his weaknesses -- including his own acknowledgment -- in fact humanized Mandela and focused on his extraordinary strength of character and commitment in overcoming both his weaknesses and adversity in his own lifetime. It augmented Mandela's greatness."

Get educated -- educate others

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world," Mandela said during a speech at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in 2003.

Mandela failed twice to complete his bachelor's degree and readily admitted he was a poor student. Eventually he earned a law degree.

Six weeks after being elected President in 1994, Mandela called on South Africans to solve the country's "profound education crisis," Bloomberg reported this year.

"The task to make South Africa a learning and learned nation belongs to all of us," he said in a speech.

But the country's schools are near the bottom in international rankings. Unqualified teachers, inadequate training and corruption are among the problems. Still, officials say almost all South African children now attend school, Bloomeberg reported.

Look people in the eye and shake their hands

"Nelson Mandela made such a common gesture something transcendent -- a greeting that crossed all societal barriers, a symbol of reconciliation, even a declaration of victory," wrote CNN's Tom Cohen in his piece, "Nelson Mandela: Man of many handshakes."

Before meeting visiting dignitaries or political adversaries in five-star hotel conference rooms, Mandela made sure to approach the security guards, servers and other workers outside to shake their hands, Cohen wrote.

They went wild when Mandela concluded his final statement during a conference by offering his hand to F.W. de Klerk, South Africa's last apartheid-era president, as an expression of unity, saying that despite their differences, he was willing to work with his adversary. De Klerk had little choice but to grasp it.

"I look at not only how people treat me, but how they treat others," Lemieux said. "Sometimes this (how they treat others) is more important."

A simple handshake, Lemieux said, can convey to others that the person making the gesture is demonstrating the belief that, "this person has value, has a perspective."

Maintain a sense of humor

"You sharpen your ideas by reducing yourself to the level of the people you are with and a sense of humor and a complete relaxation, even when you're discussing serious things, does help to mobilise friends around you. And I love that," Mandela said in a 2005 interview, published by the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

At election rallies in 1994, Cohen wrote, Mandela repeatedly elicited trilling howls of ululation from women of all ages when he explained how voters should search their ballots for the picture of the "very handsome young man" -- referring to himself -- to mark their support for the ANC.

CNN's Robyn Curnow examined Mandela's the importance of his ability to "charm and cajole."

"The cult of Mandela had become so pronounced that celebrities, world leaders and ordinary people often became tongue-tied and gibbering when they met him," she said. "Self-mockery was a typically savvy Mandela ploy to ensure that people would relax around him."

Forgive

"It enables me to go to bed with an enriching feeling in my soul and the belief that I am changing myself [by reconciling with former adversaries]," Mandela told the Christian Science Monitor about his experiences with Douw Steyn.

Steyn was a white businessman who befriended Mandela and began sharing his resources with the poor.

"For someone who had been imprisoned, it (forgiveness) was a fundamentally transformative experience," Lemieux said. He explained that people unable to forgive may experience an inability to move forward.

Johann Lochner was a Johannesburg police officer from 1986 to 1990. In an essay submitted to CNN iReport, Lochner describes responding to a shopping mall bombing scene and stepping over body parts.

"We suspected that the deceased may have been affiliated with the Umkhonto we Sizwe, the militant arm of the African National Congress," Lochner wrote. He describes the police department, as well as the city, as "greatly divided."

"Mandela wanted to find a way to unite all the people of South Africa -- something only the power of forgiveness could produce," he said. "To this day, I am so passionate about the role forgiveness played in Madiba's life. I remember so clearly how I had to personally take steps to overcome the ingrained apartheid mentality in South Africa."

"It's almost like a miraculous, supernatural transformation had taken place in Mandela's life, and consequently, in the whole nation.

"Forgiveness freed Madiba," Lochner said, "and forgiveness freed his country,"

/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar2","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/16/living/keeping-mandelas-legacy-alive/index.html","title" : "9 simple ways to keep Nelson Mandela\'s legacy alive"});December 15, 2013 -- Updated 1728 GMT (0128 HKT) As 95 candles glowed in the background, mourners gathered for Nelson Mandela's state funeral Sunday.December 15, 2013 -- Updated 1136 GMT (1936 HKT) One candle burns for each year of Nelson Mandela's life, as family, friends, dignitaries and celebrities gather in his ancestral home, Qunu.December 15, 2013 -- Updated 1036 GMT (1836 HKT) CNN's Robyn Curnow is inside the Mandela family compound in Qunu as the state funeral service is ongoing.December 15, 2013 -- Updated 0429 GMT (1229 HKT) Don't expect the man who fought to end apartheid and then led South Africa as its first black president to spend eternity pushing up just daisies.December 15, 2013 -- Updated 0350 GMT (1150 HKT) Not only is Nelson Mandela the former president of South Africa, but he is also a father, grandfather and even a great-grandfather.December 15, 2013 -- Updated 0413 GMT (1213 HKT) Nelson Mandela once said his wife, Graca Machel, makes him "bloom like a flower." December 15, 2013 -- Updated 0849 GMT (1649 HKT) South African pays tribute and thanks Nelson Mandela at the former leader's funeral in Qunu.December 15, 2013 -- Updated 0845 GMT (1645 HKT) South African President Jacob Zuma sings at the funeral of Nelson Mandela.December 15, 2013 -- Updated 0725 GMT (1525 HKT) Anti-apartheid veteran Ahmed Kathrada spent 26 years imprisoned with his close friend and confidant Nelson Mandela.December 15, 2013 -- Updated 0408 GMT (1208 HKT) The coffin carrying Nelson Mandela's body arrived Saturday in his ancestral village of Qunu, where he'll be buried.December 14, 2013 -- Updated 2128 GMT (0528 HKT) Crowds gather as Nelson Mandela's funeral convoy arrives at Mthatha Airport in South Africa's Eastern Cape.December 13, 2013 -- Updated 1932 GMT (0332 HKT) Beloved icon Nelson Mandela will be laid to rest on the farm where he grew up. CNN's Robyn Curnow gives an inside look.December 13, 2013 -- Updated 1644 GMT (0044 HKT) It might be timely to put aside out-of-date and ill-informed views of Africa, and see it the way Africans seem to: With a high level of optimism.December 6, 2013 -- Updated 0440 GMT (1240 HKT) Mandela emerged from prison to lead his country out of racist apartheid rule with a message of reconciliation that inspired the world.December 6, 2013 -- Updated 1632 GMT (0032 HKT) The late South African President reflects on his imprisonment and his fight against apartheid. December 10, 2013 -- Updated 1457 GMT (2257 HKT) Nelson Mandela, hailed for leading South Africa out of apartheid, wanted to be remembered as part of a collective and not in isolation.December 6, 2013 -- Updated 1803 GMT (0203 HKT) From revolutionary to revered statesman, Nelson Mandela left his inspirational mark on the world.December 5, 2013 -- Updated 2324 GMT (0724 HKT) The only known footage of Nelson Mandela while at Robben Prison shows inside his cell and the former president in 1977.December 6, 2013 -- Updated 1745 GMT (0145 HKT) Mandela spent almost three decades in jail. But he had two Indian goddesses and a 17th century playwright for company.December 6, 2013 -- Updated 1252 GMT (2052 HKT) He was loved and admired the world over, profiled in books and movies. But even he has little-known facts buried in his biographies.December 5, 2013 -- Updated 2300 GMT (0700 HKT) April 27, 1994, was the crowning moment in Nelson Mandela's life -- the day South Africa held its first elections open to citizens of every race. From a village birth, to political activism, to prison and emergence as a worldwide leader.December 5, 2013 -- Updated 2340 GMT (0740 HKT) "No one is born hating another person ..." and more from Nelson Mandela in his own wordsDecember 6, 2013 -- Updated 1347 GMT (2147 HKT) "Sport has the power to change the world," Nelson Mandela once said -- and eloquently supported his claim.June 27, 2013 -- Updated 0148 GMT (0948 HKT) Browse through intimate images of Nelson Mandela, including the earliest known photograph believed to be taken in 1938.December 6, 2013 -- Updated 1326 GMT (2126 HKT) The Special AKA's "Free Nelson Mandela" became anti-apartheid anthem, and led to Mandela's release from prison after 27 years. How will you remember Mandela? Send us your stories, memories and photographs.Today's five most popular stories

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.