IAF Celebrity: Nelson Mandela
Why this truly merciful and sacrificial leader’s legacy should challenge us all.
Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.
Nelson Mandela
IAF (Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment)
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and an enduring icon of the struggle against racial oppression, died on Thursday December 5, 2013. President Jacob Zuma announced the loss with the statement, “His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, his compassion and his humanity earned him their love.”
Mandela is one of the easier MDNA Profiles to identify. As an IAF, he transformed an entire nation with his vision and sacrifices in Life that are absolutely rare in leadership today.
“Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.” – Nelson Mandela
Mandela spent 27 years in prison after being convicted of treason by a white minority government. Despite the injustice and captivity, Mandela continued on to forge a peaceful end to white rule by negotiating with his captors after his release. He eventually led the African National Congress to a resounding electoral victory which is marked as the first fully democratic election in the country’s history.
While revered, Mandela was also the target of much criticism which will be debated in certain circles for years as much as he is celebrated. This reveals one of the most interesting aspects of the IAF profile.
One of the most central areas to explore for the IAF profile is the concept of reconciliation. On one hand, the IAF is very vulnerable to the pain and suffering caused by others. The IAF carries the emotional burdens of others as deeply as their own. The IAF can be prone to debilitating bitterness that comes from an emotional stubbornness in refusing to forgive others.
Nelson Mandela, however, exemplified the power and potential of true heartfelt reconciliation. Some described Mandela’s form of reconciliation as the utmost in practical and pragmatic. This was the kind of reconciliation that could heal an entire national politically and spiritually.
Reconciliation is not always the most popular notion with the IAF individual, more so than the other profiles.
Did Mandela not have every right to be offended and seek retribution against those that oppressed him and his people for over a quarter century? As an IAF, most assuredly he felt every moment of pain, despair and anger—for him and against him. Yet Mandela knew, by envisioning a future through his intrinsic lens of political excellence, for the sake of a nation, reconciliation was necessary, both personally and professionally. And he not only talked the talk, but if you know the story of his prison release, he also walked the walk.
The IAF, above and beyond all the other profiles, has the power to create an environment where every party feels intimately aligned. In today’s society and cultural trend, this intimacy is the new authority. And this authority has the power to change individuals, organizations, countries and humanity.
We strongly encourage every IAF that ever reads this to sincerely consider Nelson Mandela’s model of humility, reconciliation, and true leadership. And may his legacy endure and continue to be an example for us all.