The following is an edited presentation by Christopher Issa — businessman and owner of Spanish Court Hotel, speaking to the Rotaract Club of New Kingston at the Altamont Court Hotel on June 30, 2013.

I always jump at the opportunity to speak to young people, as it is you who will be the leaders of tomorrow and it is you who will be the agents of change in this ever-changing world.

Of course, I am even more pleased at the fact that I am here among you, the members of the Rotaract Club of New Kingston, and I congratulate you and your leadership for the work done so far and work that is to come in the near future and beyond.

Now we all know that Rotaract stands for Rotary in Action. And it is that action that has brought a lot of attention to the valuable work of the organisation over the years.

You and as a matter of fact all of us must continue to act as we carry out our mandate in service, leadership and community. As we do that though, we must be ever conscious of what is going on in the world around us and continue to stimulate and develop ourselves, and importantly, our minds, to better meet the challenges of life as we know it.

NELSON MANDELA

Now as we speak of developing ourselves and our minds to meet the challenges of life, we cannot negate what’s happening in South Africa, and yes, I am speaking about developments surrounding the health of Nelson Mandela, arguably one of the world’s most respected, brave and thoughtful leaders. Our prayers are with him, his family and his country at this difficult time.

The life story of Nelson Mandela thus far is one that we here in Jamaica must as a matter of fundamental urgency learn from as we continue as a nation and as a people to make things right. We are simply too great a people to be mired in so many problems. Now, if we are serious about pulling ourselves up, we must pull together the best solutions from here and those inspired by icons like Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela, as we know, had probably the worst experience imaginable for any human. He was engaged in resistance against the ruling South African National Party’s cruel apartheid policies after 1948. In 1962 he was arrested, convicted of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was in prison for 27 years, more than a third of the entire life of the average Jamaican. We all know the story: he was released in 1990. Now after going through that horrible experience of apartheid and being in prison for such a long time, Mandela led negotiations with then President FW de Klerk to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994, which he won.

As president he formed a government of national unity, established a new constitution and initiated the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN?

Now, what is it that we as Jamaicans can learn from this extraordinary Nobel Peace Prize-winning icon? What can we take from his experiences, his leadership and his teachings that can help us as Jamaicans to make Jamaica land we love a truly better place?

In my own readings on Mandela, I have come across statements by him that we all must learn from if we are to achieve. Most importantly he said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

That quote should be our inspiration, our thematic, on how we go about building a true connection with the majority of our people if we truly want a real positive go at changing our society.

He has other statements that have had a profound impact:

Mandela 1. “Vision without action is just a dream, action without vision just passes the time, and vision with action can change the world.”

Now in Jamaica do we truly have an understanding of what a vision really is? Can we see through all the smoke that our society is? To me not at all. Look around you, we are just not a truly visionary society… What about “Action”? Are we a society of

Action? The last “Action” I definitely remember was the 1993 hit tune “Action (Not a bag a mout’) Sweet (Lovin’ make de gal dem bruk out)” by Nadine Sutherland and Terror Fabulous.

We have long become a ‘just deya’ society.

What about change?

Do we really have an appreciation for change in Jamaica? The unfortunate truth is that we have become a society dependent on instant gratification or a wretched “eat a food” culture.

We are a nation of talkers, dreamers and talkers. The fact is indecision is a decision, and failure to act is a decision. They are bad decisions. We need to urgently absorb Mandela’s principles if we are about not just getting things done, but also ensuring that in getting things done it is part of a great vision.

Proverbs 29 verse 18 puts Mandela’s statement all into perspective.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish”

Mandela 2. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Education in today’s world is way more than being able to read and write. We have to become a thinking society. We also need to think critically. Many times we are too busy criticising to stop and think critically. We are good at finding the problem rather than finding the solution to the problem.

Recall the words of Bob Marley, “None but ourselves can free our minds”. It is wholesome education that has been key to the success of societies the world over. We need to get there.

Mandela 3. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

We always hear people say “One love”. It is a cry for love in society. One Love is better than six-love. We have lost the meaning of “love”. We have to restore it.

Friends, the disturbing levels of crime and violence in and outside of our schools are mind-boggling. The countless and unreported stories of our children being sexually abused, maimed and killed is alarming. But what I find even more alarming is the increasing “numbness” of our children and society in general to violent, inhumane and anti-social activities. Crude behaviour appears to be normal. Violence appears to be normal.

Killing appears to be normal. If we don’t as a people and crucially if our leaders don’t with more passion and drive work to arrest the threats to our children, then we are looking at a lost generation that will in quick time firmly plant Jamaica in the ranks of a failed state. We must work to entrench civility and love amongst our youth if we are keen on building a strong, prosperous and stable society.

Mandela 4. “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

One of the world’s most transformative leaders, Lee Kuan Yew, came to Jamaica decades ago and studied quite a bit of what we were doing then. Today Singapore has Formula One racing at night while in Jamaica we have crab racing at night.

There doesn’t seem to be much passion in Jamaica anymore. You know, “Passion, that a fruit, man. Me love it but me nuh live it”. I have always been concerned that too many people, not just here but all over, are too willing to settle for less than what they are capable of achieving. Achievement, success, persevering is not usually easy, it is hard, it is rough, it is at times grimy, but you have to have a vision, a plan and work hard at achieving. Shortcuts to success are usually short-lived and end with disaster. As a people and as a nation, my friends, we must stay committed and we must aim high and never ever settle.

Mandela 5.”It always seems impossible until it’s done”

There is no doubt that Jamaica can be turned around. We say “No problem, man” glibly, but many of us are so overwhelmed that we say it, missing its true meaning.

We say “Respect man” but many times we say it without it having any real value. Respect has to be earned; it can’t just be bought in a bottle. You can’t buy a pound of respect.

We can turn Jamaica around once we put our minds to it. If we change the mindset the country will be more than set.

After the never-ending struggles Mandela has been through all his life, we had better take note. He never gave up, he never went down the road of absolute destruction, even though there are many who believe that there are more than enough reasons to go that route. Getting our nation to the point of true success, where as many of our citizens as possible have the opportunity to make the best of their lives, will take a lot of work and will easily come off as next to impossible, but we can do it. I know we can. Just look at the success of Singapore and other countries who came from scratch. It can be done!

In closing, I know that being of service is often difficult given the daily stresses of life, but I cannot emphasise in words just how important it is that you play a lead role in turning around lives, communities and a nation. Nelson Mandela’s life is testament to us all that success is possible even under the most strenuous circumstances imaginable.

As a matter of fact, US President Barack Obama, while in South Africa recently, said about Mandela’s legacy: “He (Mandela) showed that when you lead with integrity, when you are more concerned about what is right than simply being in power, you can perform miracles. You can bring about incredible changes”.

I wish you all the very best in your endeavours and encourage you to be an even brighter beacon of light in this country.