THIS Friday marked Nelson Mandela Day in honour of the icon whose name is now synonymous with peace and reconciliation.
If he were still alive this would have marked 96 birthdays. Nonetheless his legacy lives on in this day which was launched through a unanimous decision of the United Nations General Assembly which decided that July 18 would be used as a day to try and make a change whether as an individual or organisation, to better the life of another or others.
The essence of this day is that one could spare at least 67 minutes in their day to do some good.
The symbolism of the 67 minutes is that Nelson Mandela gave 67 years of his life to fight for the human rights of his people. It is a day supposed to inspire and challenge individuals to make a change only by utilising 67 minutes of their time.
Some people are hesitant to commemorate this day by doing good deeds as they feel that every day should be a Mandela Day.
That merely relegating 67 minutes of one day in your life to doing good does not cut it. Yes, ideally we should take cognizance and aim to do good all the time for others, but by singling out a day compels people to actually take notice.
This is why we have Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Valentine’s Day on our calendars. Truth is that if we did not relegate a day for mothers or fathers some parents would essentially go uncelebrated, never mind that it is a full time job 365 days a year. The same goes with Valentine’s Day. Some lovers would never sniff a rose in their entire existence if it were not for February 14.
Last year I made a concerted effort to run the Nelson Mandela relay in honour of the icon. I am glad to say I ran 5km in 45 minutes. God forbid if it had taken me 67 minutes.
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The money raised through the participation of me and countless others is that some charitable organisation benefited. I am ashamed to say that this year the day passed me by without any good endeavour being done by me.
The reason is that the spirit of the day was taken over by countless other things that I had to do which essentially encapsulates our attitude towards being charitable.
We always moan that we don’t have the time. However, like most things, if we don’t make time for them they will never get done. We always make time for the things we value in life.
Think of how many hours women spend in the salon doing hair and nails? Think of how many hours men spend in front of the television watching soccer? Let’s rewind to the just concluded World Cup.
Think of how much time you spent in front of the television watching football? Each game is 90 minutes in length. Not counting those games that went into 30 minutes extra time and then give or take 10 minutes for penalty shoot-outs.
Then of-course there were those among us who would watch two to three games in an evening. Yet when asked to give 67 minutes to do something selfless we agonise over it.
It’s often easier to donate money to charity because it doesn’t take time. Essentially one rights a cheque for $67 and they quickly absolve themselves from doing more.
When they say time is money it is really true. Time is a precious commodity that appears to tick by quickly, so giving of your time is really an awesome gift. It’s amazing how much more you can achieve by giving of yourself in 67 minutes.
Imagine taking time out to tutor for free at a local school for 67-minutes. Each of us has a special skill or talent that we could easily share and impart thereby enriching the life of countless others.
We could also enlist the help of our community and mobilise them to clean the streets for 67 minutes? The effects are momentous.
Even a 67 minute visit an old people’s home will go a long way in lifting the spirits of the elderly. Giving should not always be about the material.
If you think about it 67 minutes is less than 5% of a 24-hour day. It really is not a lot to ask of ourselves, yet somehow something else comes up.
I will close with the words of Nelson Mandela: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
Sue Nyathi is the author of the novel The Polygamist. You can follow her on Twitter @SueNyathi
