Question

But then I slowly saw that not only was I not free, but my brothers and sisters were not free. I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, but the freedom of everyone who looked like my I did. That is when I joined the African National Congress, and that is when the hunger for own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of my people. It was this desire for the freedom of my people to live their lives with dignity and self-respect that animated my life, that transformed a frightened young man into a bold one, that drove a law-abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family-loving husband into a man without a home, that forced a life-loving man to live like a monk. I am no more virtuous or self-sacrificing than the next man, but I found that I couldn't even enjoy the poor and limited freedoms I was allowed when I knew my people were not free Freedom is invisible the chains on anyone of my people were the chains on me

But then I slowly saw that not only was I not free, but my brothers and sisters were not free.
what exactly does Mandela want to convey through this statement


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Answer 1

Nelson Mandela is expressing a profound realization that his personal freedom was intertwined with the freedom of all people who shared his background and struggles. He came to understand that his individual liberty meant little if his fellow South Africans, particularly those who looked like him, were not also free. This realization led him to join the African National Congress and commit himself to the broader cause of securing dignity, self-respect, and freedom for his people. Mandela's message is that true freedom is not isolated but connected to the collective freedom and well-being of his community, and he was willing to sacrifice for this greater cause.