Nelson Mandela’s Views on Violence, Essay Example

Abstract

The paper discusses Nelson Mandela’s views on violence. Mandela’s commitment to nonviolence is discussed.

Nelson Mandela

Throughout his life, Nelson Mandela exemplified the continuous struggle of his African people for liberation. From the very beginning of his revolutionary fight against oppression, Mandela has been promoting his commitment to nonviolence. However, the moment came when passive approaches to liberation were no longer effective, and both violence and nonviolence turned into the distinctive features of Mandela’s philosophy.

Nelson Mandela was always committed to nonviolence. In his essay for the Time newspaper, Mandela refers to Ghandi’s archetype of the colonial revolutionary whose principles of nonviolence he persistently followed (Mandela, 1999). Both Ghandi and Mandela suffered the violence and oppression of their own governments and both chose to mobilize their effort against the forces that violated their freedom (Mandela, 1999). Their strategies were equally nonviolent, and Mandela recognizes that he remained committed to nonviolence for as long as he could (Mandela, 1999). Yet, the moment came when passiveness and humility could no longer withstand the growing pressure of the brute governmental forces. As a result, Mandela had to add a military dimension to his strategy and philosophy (Mandela, 1999). His agenda was no longer a peaceful one.

Mandela (1999) is confident that nonviolence and violence are not mutually exclusive. Everything depends on which of the two dominates the strategy (Mandela, 1999). Violence, in Mandela’s view, is not blood for the sake of blood but is the measure of the last resort. Violence is a response which is not voluntary but forced by the violent conditions of the oppression on the side of the government. Mandela accepts violence as an option in the fight for the liberation for human rights; simultaneously, he is committed to the spiritual dimensions of equality, nonviolence and justice. He emphasizes the human capacity to enforce changes and does not vote for the simple destruction the oppressive governments. Violence for Mandela is nothing but the measure of self-defense, to which he and his liberation groups had to apply to protect themselves from the terrible consequences of the federal oppression and discrimination in South Africa.

References

Mandela, N. (1999). The sacred warrior. Time. Retrieved June 5, 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,993025-3,00.html