I have not been conquered

Can't believe it took an year to come across Invictus and I've been inspired by two things, the way Clint Eastwood delivers powerful messages through the character of Nelson Mandela and the role that earned him a Nobel peace laureate.

This post is explicitly not about Invictus, this is a discussion on a single topic I picked out from Nelson Mandela in Invictus and I'm so glad that I have such a platform to share my opinion and let it be heard.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years and how he took revenge from his enemies? by forgiveness.

This might sound so freaked out, if I imagine myself in such a state, I would have gone around in a suicidal mission around SA after a prison break. but after some small researching, I found out that the mind set in Nelson Mandela created the heading for the 2009 movie itself, "Invictus" of course!

'Invictus' is an inspiring poem written by an English poet, William Henley. The verse is as below,

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Reciting this poem will not give you any meaning in the first glimpse. Just try going through it a bit thoroughly, you will find inspiration as well as of stoicism (the means of understanding the natural state of things, or logos, and as a means of freeing oneself from emotional distress).

As I see, the verse explains the well known fact that, "Do your very best, GOD will do the rest". This is something my class teacher back in school used to tell us occasionally as a motivational boost that I have to play my part true to lead to the succession. Praying to GOD with my own workload pending will be futile. Also emphasises on self control and understanding that you alone and alone are responsible for your life. 'I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my life', a line with so much of power and influence also spoken out by Morgan Freeman in his depiction of Mandela at the end of Invictus.

When I go through this, it gives me the feeling that the person who recites this must have gone through a series of depression and dismay, has suffered badly and is finding the explanations for reasons that lead him to that state of existence. And this poem explains to himself that no one but himself is responsible for that. This is not self torture, this is self control. Its quite evident how the life of Mandela reflects the meaning of the verse. In many of his popular speeches he conveys the message of forgiveness, unity and harmony.

'I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.'

In invictus (2009), when his bodyguard asks about "how is your family sir?" the reply is heart throbbing, "I have a very large family, 42 million".

The meaning of Invictus is 'I have not been conquered'.