Happy birthday, Nelson Mandela!

Today, on the birthday of former South African president Nelson Mandela, I have been thinking about what has changed in our world since 1994. Much has changed. But we are still having some of the same conversations about how we should treat one another. Mandela told the crowd at his inauguration ceremony that year,

"We saw our country tear itself apart in terrible conflict... The time for healing of wounds has come... Never, never again will this beautiful land experience the oppression of one by another."

South Africa has made great strides in creating equality for its citizens, yet still the country is divided into wealthy areas and poor areas, largely along racial lines. And South Africa is not the only country that has work to do regarding equality for citizens.

Nowadays, it seems like a lot of the division is intangible. My country has laws against segregation, but legislation doesn't change hearts and minds. 

Friends, I challenge each one of us to make a conscious effort every day to see each other as worthwhile. One by one, it is we who will make changes in hearts and minds; it is we who can decide to treat others justly. 

Instead of oppressing one another, we can choose to build each other up. Instead of simply turning a blind eye to injustice, we can take a risk to stand up against it.

What kind of world do we want to live in? It is up to us.