Greatness cannot be forgotten

When I woke up to the news of Nelson Mandela’s death, I wasn’t sure how to react. Naturally I was sad about the passing of such an amazing Statesman. However, I was also grateful that he was an influence throughout a large proportion of my life. The example he set the world was one of total forgiveness in the face of adversity. He would literally (given the opportunity) have walked into any of our homes and appreciated our hospitality with humility and non-judgmental appreciation. He is a true example of how we all need to appreciate our planet and live in harmony and peace. For a man so significant (I mean not everyday do 91 heads of state attend someone’s funeral), you’d think some people would have a clue or two about who he is. You see some people say dumb things on social media then lie to us that their accounts were hacked into. I understand that celebrities have stalkers and people use their names on the internet but when it comes to Paris Hilton, one cannot be too sure. I was forwarded a link on Twitter on Ms Hilton paying her respects to Madiba. Apparently she was letting people know just how inspired she was by his ‘I have a dream’ speech. I’m guessing Martin Luther King Jr (may he rest in peace) does not appreciate his epic speech being credited to someone else. We were later informed that her account was hacked into. But then again this is the same chick who said, and I quote, “Wal-Mart... do they like make walls there?” So forgive me if I am not feeling this whole ‘it wasn’t me who said that’ vibe. As I tried to move on from Paris Hilton, I was then sent another buffoon’s post on the same network. This one seriously needed canes! After words of just how badly Mandela will be missed, he proceeded to attach a photo of Mandela – only it wasn’t Mandela, it was Morgan Freeman! Seriously? For this one, I am convinced he was just trying to piss people off, and he succeeded. Moving on, as we spoke about this great man’s death, I was asked if it would be totally odd to feel more upset about Paul Walker’s death than Madiba’s. Considering I was not sure whether to cry for the man or be glad that he is now finally resting peacefully, it made sense. Paul Walker was an American actor, most known for his role in the Fast and Furious movie franchise. He was killed in a car accident on November 30. For movie freaks, the death of an actor could be worse than losing one of greatest Statesmen of all time. I really don’t expect everyone to mourn Nelson Mandela the same way because now more than ever, I’m convinced there are people out there who know nothing about him. What a shame. Personally, my dreams of shaking his hand one day are officially gone but one thing I know is he will always be remembered.