send out
This song is not about Nelson Mandela. I am sure there are songs about Mandela out there, but I don't know many of them yet. (Feel free to suggest any you know in the comments.) Instead this song is about Daniel Berrigan. But I feel like Dar Williams' lyrics, the sentiments here, are worthy of remembering (and, too, in my case, learning about) Mandela as well.
Lyrics here.
ETA: Thanks, FB friends! Here's a song for you. Turn it up!
Lyrics
I will be meditating on these words of his tonight:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in every one. And as we let our light shine, we give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fears, our presence liberates others.”
ETA again! Turns out these words, while certainly worth meditating upon, weren't actually said by Nelson Mandela. Snopes has the truth. (This actually makes more sense to me, in hindsight.)
So, here, have some words that actually really are (probably!?) attributable to Mr Mandela:
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
Lyrics here.
ETA: Thanks, FB friends! Here's a song for you. Turn it up!
Lyrics
I will be meditating on these words of his tonight:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in every one. And as we let our light shine, we give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fears, our presence liberates others.”
ETA again! Turns out these words, while certainly worth meditating upon, weren't actually said by Nelson Mandela. Snopes has the truth. (This actually makes more sense to me, in hindsight.)
So, here, have some words that actually really are (probably!?) attributable to Mr Mandela:
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."