Today I watched the film Invictus directed by Clint Eastwood starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. The movie was “about the events in South Africa before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, hosted in that country following the dismantling of apartheid. Freeman and Damon play, respectively, South African President Nelson Mandela and François Pienaar, the captain of the South African rugby union team the Springboks” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invictus_(film)).
I cried throughout most of the movie. When people do the right thing even though it would be understandable and easier for them to do otherwise, it warms the heart tremendously. When leaders do not turn away from leadership and become lackeys of current public opinion but press on with what is ultimately unifying and spiritually lifting, it shows much more than courage; it shows the innocent determination to achieve transformation. The grace and graciousness of Nelson Mandela was built upon ironclad certainty of what was needed. His 27 years in Robben Island prison did not break the man, but gave him confidence where true strength lies. He had 27 years of class 101 Human Nature to study man’s behavior carefully and to map out its spiritual underpinnings.
