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When a person truly speaks from their soul what she or he says or does is completely selfless, resulting in clear benefits for everyone. This looks different for each soultype. SoulType 9, for example, finds a way to include everyone around them, integrating the individual souls to build a community of open hearts, and then lead this community to act from its collective soul. In such a community of souls, no one is excluded, even if they appear to be your enemy.
This process of molding and shaping takes some time to accomplish. From the time he was let out of prison in 1989, Nelson Mandela inspired all peoples of South Africa to create a peaceful democracy. He was elected president of this democracy in 1994.
What follows are quotes from "Mandela, The Authorized Biography" by Anthony Sampson, 1999.
Nelson Mandela understood that he was merely an instrument of the people. This is illustrated in the following quote from one of his speeches.
I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands. p. 402.
He was able to take volatile situations and turn them around into peaceful gatherings of people. The speech he gave for a crowd of 100,000 in Soweto Stadium is an example of this.
He flew up to Johannesburg a few days later to address a crowd of 100,000 at the Soweto stadium, Soccer City. It was a tense test of the ANC's ability to control the crowd, employing a hundred of their own marshals since they would not tolerate the presence of the police. Walter Sisulu introduced Mandela to thunderous applause: "This is a man who has sacrificed his life." Mandela spoke more like a pedagogue than a demagogue. ... The crowd listened spellbound, without any outbreak of violence, and dispersed quietly. p. 404.
When a person leads from soul, they feel a comfort with themselves and a willingness to meet and greet all people as equals.
To old friends he seemed more at ease with himself than thirty years before, without defensiveness or arrogance. He looked softer and gentler, with a warm, humorous smile instead of the flashing grin. "He's blossomed into a different personality, warm with everyone," said Amina Cachalia. "He knew exactly who he was," said Ismail Meer. "He has gone through this period of fire and purified himself and emerged as a person who can hope to bring about change in this country.'' p. 405
There is a moral sense when someone leads from soul. They truly understand that all life is sacred and that to blame people for the past and hold grudges is not productive. When you lead from soul you will love your enemies as you love your friends.
Then he showed he had morality, integrity and value for human life. ... He had a relaxed charm which made almost anyone feel better after meeting him; but his magnanimity and lack of bitterness conveyed a moral seriousness, particularly to white South Africans, as if he were a priest at confessional, forgiving sins and giving his blessing. p. 405
When you lead from soul, you are not limited by preconceived notions of people or situations. You can honestly assess the moment and act accordingly. When Mandela found himself in the presence of people who might have been unfriendly to his efforts, his soul knew he could create relationships that would be good for everyone.
And he often seemed keener to meet enemies than friends. He looked for support from unlikely white politicians, diplomats and businessmen. When Robin Renwick, building British bridges to the ANC, gave Mandela lunch at the fashionable restaurant Linger Longer, he was apprehensive about the right-wing business lunchers, but Mandela made a point of touring the dining room, shaking hands and co-opting them to his cause. "It was a bravura performance," said Renwick. p. 406
People who lead from their soul do not act for a self-serving purpose. They know that if they work for the good of the whole, their needs will be met. This creates a freedom to do what is best for all people at all times.
Mandela seemed instinctively aware of the power of his icon: he could provide "a symbolic expression of the confused desires of the people." But he guarded against the personality cult which had bedeviled so many young African states; he was careful to avoid the word "I." He realized, as Frantz Fanon had warned: "The magic hands are finally only the hands of the people." He was always stressing that he was the servant of the ANC. "They may say: well, you are a man of seventy-one, you require a pension; or, look, we don't like your face, please go. I will obey them." "His life was never the struggle," as Mac Maharaj said. "The 'I' never supplanted the organization." p. 406
Nelson Mandela is a great example of a person who used life's opportunities and challenges to find a path that lead to the greatest good for the greatest number. He is not unique in that regard. You, too can find your soul and let it be your mentor and guide your life and be just as effective in bringing greater good to the world.
Time magazine described him as a classic hero "who has emerged from a symbolic grave reborn, made great, and filled with creative power.... What Bolivar was to South America, what Lincoln was to America, Nelson Mandela is to Africa: the liberator." But he disowned the mythology: "I am sorry if I am seen as a demigod.... I am a peg on which to hang all the aspirations of the African National Congress." p. 411
Copyright © 2000 Alan Sheets and Barbara Tovey