About 15 years ago I had lunch with a South African tour operator. He gave a perspective that was new to me.
"When we South Africans saw what Martin Luther King was doing in your country," he said, "it inspired us. It showed us what was possible."
What happened in South Africa? The oppressive apartheid government that ruled during the 1950s-80s, was overturned and replaced with a new one that recognized the full citizenship of all people, no matter what race or religion.
South Africa produced its own charismatic leader, Nelson Mandela, who became an inspiration to the world.
When the minority white government finally lost its iron grip on the country in the 1980s and was overwhelmed by vast numbers of people demanding to be treated like full citizens, Mandela rose as a peacemaker.
Before his imprisonment, Mandela had just about reached his limit with nonviolent resistance.
He told an interviewer, "There are thousands of people who feel that it is useless and futile for us to continue talking peace and non-violence against a government whose only reply is savage attacks on an unarmed and defenseless people. And I think the time has come for us to consider, in the light of our experiences at this day at home, whether the methods which we have applied so far are adequate."
But after Mandela spent 27 years in prison, South Africa was falling apart. The apartheid government was losing its hold on power and turned to Mandela to help them make a transition as they relinquished rule and allowed democracy to be established.
Black South Africans were angry, and as they saw the tables turning, their rage continued to burn from a brutal history of oppression. Many black South Africans felt it would be justice to drive the white minority population into the sea.
But Mandela saw that retribution would only lead to more violence and social upheaval, and so he emerged as the great peacemaker.
Because of his tremendous strength, charisma and moral authority, his leadership was able to unite the country behind a vision of a "Rainbow Nation," which honored people of all races and cherished the strength of diversity.
"Never, never and never again," he said, "shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another."
The United States had been the inspiration of South Africans, with its Declaration of Independence proclaiming "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." There were centuries of struggle to fulfill those words through leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King.
After that lunch with my South African friend, I found myself more determined than ever to visit South Africa and experience it for myself. It had been a long time since my country had enjoyed the inspirational leadership of a man like Martin Luther King.
I felt like it might be time for South Africa to inspire me.
[READMORE]READ MORE: These Influencers Are Changing the Face of African Travel[/READMORE]
It more than lived up to my expectations. I felt a kind of joy that I had never felt before in people who had been severely oppressed and were now able to express themselves fully as free citizens. The country was blossoming, humming with the joy of freedom, self-determination and enterprise.
A government that had repeatedly told many that they were less than full human beings was replaced by one that recognized the value of every citizen. It was more than just a political change. It was a palpable feeling in the air, a nation unshackled, reveling in its new freedom.
I have returned to the country many times and never tire of basking in that sense of joy unique in the world.
I have tried to pass the word to my fellow Americans that the joy of freedom you feel when visiting South Africa is a euphoria everyone deserves to experience.
There are so many dark events in the world today, so many places where politics play out in tragedy day after day that I found myself more and more cherishing this one place of joy in the world.
There is no doubt that South Africa has its problems. Giving everyone the freedom to vote did not solve everything, and many South Africans are struggling to make it economically. But the glow of Mandela's dream has not worn off.
South Africans are working to fulfill their vision of a free society similarly to how we in America have struggled over the centuries.
[READMORE]WATCH: Travel with Great Safaris[/READMORE]
Today, my conviction that Americans really should experience the glow of South Africa is stronger than ever. Now that we have Nazis taking to the streets in America with swastika flags-advocating a return to our own form of apartheid, a society based on white supremacy, slavery and segregation-I feel it is more important than ever to reassert the values put forth by Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln and many other leaders.
My father put his life on the line to defeat the Nazis. My mother in England was bombed by Hitler's Luftwaffe. In the America where I grew up, there was no doubt where Americans stood in regard to Nazis.
No one is born a Nazi. It is a belief system people adopted by choice.
And it stands for nothing but hatred, bigotry, violence and murder. I'm surprised that many Americans seem to have forgotten the values that were self-evident in the America I grew up in. But such are the cycles of history, and as the reverence for equality and democracy have faded in our country, they have reasserted themselves in South Africa.
I think Americans need to go there and immerse themselves in that history to reacquaint themselves with the dream that was launched in America, revered around the world, and has blossomed beautifully in South Africa, formerly one of the most oppressive police states in the world.
I urge you. Go there. Experience it for yourself. You won't be sorry.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
