Nelson Mandela is known as a great leader. One major factor of Mandela’s greatness was his ability to always appear calm and happy. The video mentions that Nelson Mandela understood that he had to keep a face of forgiveness for the public. That face, that smile symbolized “Mandela’s lack of bitterness” and expressed his sympathy towards the South Africans (Stengel 48). Nelson Mandela’s ability to always appear warm and friendly became his strength. Although Mandela had gone through a lot of injustice, he was able to be well- composed and happy. He never let his bitterness show. This was a very powerful attitude portrayed by Mandela. When people looked at him they knew that no matter what, everything will be okay.
Rule number 6 states that “Appearances matter—and remember to smile” (47). This a very important rule because it tells one a lot about one’s strength. If someone can walk through hell and keep smiling, it shows that this person isn’t easily beaten and has the will-power to get through anything. I can relate to this rule because I carry this kind of an attitude. Even if things aren’t great, keep smiling, because you never know who is looking up to you as a role model. I do this for my siblings and anyone one else who might look up to me. When others see someone who can happily accept the worst, they will be inspired to do the same. So appearance matters mostly because of the way it impacts others and the message it sends out about the person.
-Kiranpreet K Sawhney 🙂
