Friday, December 06, 2013

Nelson Mandela, and far, far away.

Nelson Mandela's passing reminds me of the time when everything seemed to be changing. The Berlin Wall fell, the Warsaw Pact crumbled, and just a few months later, Mandela was released from prison. Stray academics then began talking about the end of history, and for a few seconds, it seemed possible. There was a failed coup signalling the impending demise of the USSR, and then Magic Johnson had HIV. U2's Achtung Baby was released and the Zoo TV tour commenced. There was an election, and damned if Bill Clinton didn't defeat the Reagan Era.

I began a career and a relationship, all at once. Perhaps the inmates really were running the asylum.

Fast forward to 2013, and the passing of an icon. Who better than Clinton to remember an excellent piece of advice from Mandela, as reported at Esquire?

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