Some are born great..

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

William Shakespeare

 

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the small village of Mvezo, on the Mbashe River, district of Umtata in Transkei, South Africa. He was a man who would one day become a great man despite his lineage and place within the tribe he was born to.

There are many great men and women in history. Mr. Mandela now takes his place at the table with such greats as Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, John F. Kennedy, Indira Ghandhi and so, so many more. They are part of our history. They are a part of my history. They will be part of the history that the children of tomorrow will learn about in schools around the globe.

But what about a lady by the name of Noqaphi Nosekeni? Or a man called Nikola Bojaxhiu? Have you ever heard of these two people? I hadn’t until I took to writing this posting.

The second paragraph above this one mentions names that ARE great. But who are the two in the paragraph immediately preceding this one? Well, the lady, Noqaphi Nosekeni and the man, Nikola Bojaxhiu, were the mother of Nelson Mandela and the father of Mother Teresa, respectively.

Why do I bring them up? Let’s go back to the quote penned by William Shakespeare. We instantly recognize these great people’s names. And they deserve the credit they are due. But are they the only great ones? What about Nelson Mandela’s mother? Did she not have a strong influence on the ethics of her son? Did her strict, yet charitable background as a dedicated Methodist not impress on her son justice? Equality? Sacrifice? And did not the community he was raised in have influence? His teachers? Professors? Even his jailers?

You see, my point is this – we are ALL born to greatness; everyone one of us. We have no idea how we will affect someone who may be seen later as “great”. Does not our greatness have impact? Of course it does!

 

My Truth: As challenging as it is; as imperfect as I am; as “insignificant” as I may feel on any given day, I am great! I am also grate-ful for the many lives that have impacted the person I am as well as the privilege I’ve had to impact others. It is my constant prayer to be that which I have been touched by – greatness.

Some are born great..

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