It is telling that Mandela was at one time a linguist. Language is essentially functional. It matters on a level that defines what it is to be human. To practice the study, and advance theory of language, is to work on something of massively relatable significance, ceaselessly in need of reinvention. 

He was not simply a good man. To whitewash his existence would be worse than futile. Mandela grew up amidst a predominantly wretched political climate, and took action during some moments hyper-saturated with terror. Though his death has prompted celebration of Mandela as a man and historical force for righteousness, it is no cause to overlook claims made by those who previously found fault with his beliefs (Dick Cheney said he "didn't regret" voting to continue Mandela's imprisonment) or the means by which he acted upon them. The legacy of this leader speaks to the ability of individuals to enact great progressive change, but also the weight yoking hope for such advancement.

There are perhaps few better symbols of Mandela’s existence on a down-to-earth man than his origin story. Born Madiba Mandela, “He came from humble origins,” said John Matison, a reporter who documented Mandela’s life and times for the duration of his administration. “He grew up in a home with a dirt, manure ground.”

Like his childhood home, the political effort Mandela eventually spearheaded was built in an attempt to make straight-up bullshit liveable. Turmoil over the country’s racially insane policies and power distribution raged for generations in a manner similar to other states inspired by Colonialism, with uniquely South African instances of bloodshed and oppression.

That environment, and the process by which he came to change it, was described vividly in Mandela’s first autobiographical writing, “Long Walk To Freedom.” It was penned in secret while he was incarcerated as a political prisoner at Robben Island. The text was snuck out page-by-page by a fellow inmate who went on to become the Mandela administration's Minister of Transportation. The book served to personify a man otherwise rendered invisible by his own government—recognizing the anti-Apartheid movement in print or public discussion was a crime. Of course, so was any congregation of more than four non-whites. That book is now a big-budget motion picture. The original text is available for viewing online, forever, courtesy of the Internet Archive.

He made up the entity that is South Africa in a way that’s almost impossible to overstate. While the contributions of other revolutionary heroes and villains earned their place in the pantheon of history, it is his face that stands out most brightly. It’s his face that’s now on the country’s money. Not just the five rand note, or a few bills—all paper money, and some of the coins. He is credited with choosing the way the country ran, and it’s basic existence. Even in stepping down after two terms in office, rather than violate the constitutionally established rule for the sake of extended personal power, he was lauded as a beautiful figure.

Due indelibly to Mandala, the lives of millions were bettered. Foremost in South Africa, but in symbolism and solidarity he improved life for people writ large. That’s a hell of a thing to pull off, and the degree to which he, as a single corporeal form on earth, played a deterministic role in that happening is at least close to unfathomable. His presence was said to win soccer games and rugby championships, for chrissakes. Yet it cannot be denied there remained shittyness innately tied to his stories of success, and there will be issues in the future despite his ability to serve as an ideological guidepost. There are those who vehemently oppose the decision to grant amnesty to Apartheid-era leadership and police to this day. The process of executing his will prompted tremendous conflict while he was still alive, even infighting among blood relatives including the children of his three wives.

Long after the pontificating on his spirit’s purity dies back down to a dull murmur, there will be struggle. Good luck being some one who helps make that better.