How Did Mandela's 'Hunger for Freedom' Change His Life?

As a young boy, Mandela thought he was born completely free. To him, freedom simply meant running in the fields, swimming in the clear stream, and roasting mealies under the stars. As a student in Johannesburg, his definition of freedom grew slightly. He wanted 'transitory freedoms' for himself—the freedom to stay out at night, read what he pleased, and choose his own job and wife. However, as he grew older, he realized a massive, terrifying truth: Nobody with black skin in South Africa was free. The entire system of 'Apartheid' had completely chained his people to poverty, racism, and humiliation.

When Mandela realized that the freedom of his brothers and sisters was stolen, his personal desire for individual freedom transformed into a massive, burning 'Hunger for the freedom of his people'. This hunger brought about a radical, 180-degree transformation in his personality and life:

1. It transformed him from a frightened, law-abiding young attorney into a bold, fearless political criminal in the eyes of the white government.
2. It turned a family-loving husband into a homeless wanderer and a political monk.
3. It forced him to sacrifice his comfortable life and spend 27 brutal years locked inside a tiny prison cell on Robben Island to fight for equality.

His massive hunger for freedom completely destroyed his personal life, but it ultimately made him the legendary leader who destroyed the evil system of Apartheid, becoming the very first Black President of a democratic South Africa.