the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around
you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is
within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our
presence automatically liberates others.”
-Marianne Williamson
The day after Mandela’s death, orders from the US Embassy required that all Peace Corps
volunteers evacuate and abstain from travel to South Africa’s capital cities (of which there are
three: Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein), and Johannesburg, where memorial services
would be taking place. Following orders, I booked a bus from Pretoria back to my home in
Limpopo. On the bus, an elderly white woman sat next to me with a newspaper in her hand.
The woman’s hand stroked the front page of the newspaper; a picture of Father
Madiba. Moments later, tears streamed down her face. “Are you okay?” I tried to console.
She lam