Nelson Mandela is a man widely known throughout the world. This man is considered a hero of South Africa and is also considered a man who helped change the world for the better. Life was difficult in the Transkei town of Mvezo and on July 18, 1918 a hero was born. Nelson Mandela's original name was Rolihlahla Mandela and he was born into the Madiba clan. Mandela's entire family before him had never gone to school or received a proper education. At a young age his mother sent him to a Methodist school because his family was of the Christian denomination. He was baptized as a Methodist and his teacher followed the ritual custom, in most African churches, of being given an English name, which was Nelson. Mandela had to suffer hardships early in life with the death of his father when Nelson had died. at nine years old. Nelson believed his father died of lung disease, but the cause of his death is still unknown today. Mandela said that he was very much like his father in the sense that he had “a proud rebellion” (Mandela 24). Soon after his father's death, Mandela's mother took him to Mqhekezweni where he was taken into the household of Chief Dalindyebo. This family treated Mandela like a son and this allowed him to grow up in a caring and loving environment. This family also relied heavily on Christianity and this had a profound impact on the life of the young Nelson Mandela. This led him to grow up with a rigorous moral education that every person deserves fair and equal treatment and that no man is better than another man. Life was difficult in South Africa, but Christianity helped Mandela grow into a person of deep moral value... middle of paper... better than when he got there. Racism has indeed been a plague throughout South Africa and now the country seems to live more or less in harmony with each other. There are no more massacres like those of the 80s. Mandela was an extreme supporter of democracy and believed that every single person had rights and that these should not be taken away. Mandela received numerous awards for his fight for peace in South Africa. He also received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in South Africa. The human race needs to learn to live more like Mandela and try to help their fellow man, instead of fighting. There is too much violence in the world today and Mandela was a man who was able to stop much of the violence and make the country better than it had ever been before. This was the life of a man who is a hero to his nation.