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What a man: I was sad to hear of the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Boxing Day. However, as sure as life is not possible without death, this news prompted me to re-examine the incredible man he was.
There's an excellent and comprehensive Wikipedia page about him which I enjoyed reading to get more of a feel of him as a person. The quote that stood out for me was this, from his time at St Peter's Theological College in Rosettenville, Johannesburg. The college's principal, Godfrey Pawson, wrote that he:
"has exceptional knowledge and intelligence and is very industrious. At the same time he shows no arrogance, mixes in well and is popular."
In NO HANDS language this to me speaks of a man who really knows how to Stir Mud*. Which is hardly surprising given the multitude of challenges he took on throughout his life, not least as the chair of the post-apartheid Africa Truth & Reconciliation Commission. The resilience required to be involved in such an undertaking is phenomenal and I find myself wondering how Tutu maintained his own capacity to keep going and avoid burnout. We all have our own unique strategies and I suspect his faith was a large part of it - perhaps one day I'll find out.
In the mean time, I invite you to #BeMoreDesmond.
How better to honour someone's life than to do what we can to continue their legacy? This could be building your own resilience through our free Tools for Resilience resource or, even better, coming along to a NeuroTouch course with a friend so YOU can benefit from daily nervous-system soothing Touch.
Perhaps it's finding out more about non-violence and the powerful role its played in a host of conflict situations around the world - and continues to.
It could be an act of generosity like offering free or discounted treatments to our incredible NHS workers.
There are a whole host of other attributes to choose from. Attributes he lived, on every level, throughout the 90 years he contributed to making this world a better place. The world may have lost a great man but we have the opportunity to continue his work for a more loving planet.
What. A. Man.
* If you don't know the story of Stirring the Mud watch this space - we hope to be sharing it as a story available to everyone in the New Year
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