A. The three lessons. It's not an easy task to choose three lessons over the others as they all are very meaningful, but since we are gently pushed to, I'll go for the ones listed below:
1- Courage is not the absence of fear. I've chosen this chapter mainly because I've already died quite a few times so far and I would like to die not many times more from now on. Apart from this new year's resolution I've found very inspiring Mandela's very concept of courage: it has nothing to do with the absence of fear but with how we manage this existing fear, that is, we will be brave if we pretend we are so, we will overcome fear if we act as if we had already overcome it. Given the large number of situations throughout our lives that cause fear, this is indeed a fairly useful piece of advice.
2- Be measured. This lesson is without a doubt very useful when we are faced with stressful situations in which we have to be calm in order to be more able to evaluate the situation and choose the best course of action, and in which we even have to transmit to others that we are in control of the situation. This kind of event is very likely to appear repeatedly in our lives and it would be very convenient if we were prepared to face them just by taking into account this important lesson.
3- See the good in others. If you want to change the world for the better start changing yourself. This lesson describes a way to do that. It is not out of naiveness that you should try to see the good in others but out of self-interest, it is a way of influencing others to behave in a proper way, which for an educator is a priceless lesson indeed.
B. Mandela's gift. This book, as the title states without subtleties, provides a great deal of advice for everyone that can be applied in many different arenas. Who hasn't been in the need of influencing another person at a particular moment of their lives? We live in society and regardless our personal situation we interact with others, and it would be highly desirable that this interaction occurs in the best possible way so that we can fully achieve our vital goals whatever they may be.
