A tribute to Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) |27 December 2021
Mr Yakub
The world has just lost a great human being.
Desmond Tutu was a South African Anglican archbishop who was very vocal in his opposition to the apartheid regime in South Africa. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and in 1995 he was named head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigated allegations of human rights abuses during the dark period of apartheid in South Africa.
How did this humble and simple man of faith change the world around us? Desmond Tutu managed to draw both national and international attention to the inequities of apartheid. He emphasized nonviolent protest and encouraged the application of economic sanctions against the unjust South African government. He later headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was intended to help heal the country by investigating human rights violations that had occurred during the apartheid era.
One thing that stands out to me when I ponder over Archbishop Tutu’s life is the recent publication of ‘The Book of Joy’ in September 2016 written by His Holiness the 14th Daila Lama & the Archbishop, Desmond Tutu. That book captures candid conversations and exchanges between two spiritual giants over a period of seven days in their quest to finding “Lasting Happiness in a Changing World”. In their own words, they agreed that:
‘The ultimate source of happiness is within us.’ DALAI LAMA
‘We grow in kindness when our kindness is tested.’ DESMOND TUTU
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama have known each other for many, many years. Between them, they had endured more than 50 years of exile, soul-searching oppression and violence. But what is most striking is that despite these hardships endured, those two old friends somehow managed to radiate compassion, humour and above all, joy to others around them. To celebrate His Holiness's 80th birthday, Archbishop Tutu travelled to the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India in April 2015. The two men spent a week discussing a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of human suffering?
That quest gave rise to the publication of the Book of Joy which was co-written with Douglas Abrams who assisted in interviewing the two esteemed spiritual figures of our time. So, when Archbishop Tutu travelled to the Dalai Lama's home in Northern India six years ago to celebrate His Holiness's 80th birthday, it ended up creating what they hoped would be a gift for others. They basically looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of suffering that many others are enduring on this planet?
They exchanged intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes revealed how to live a life filled with joy. ‘The Book of Joy’offers its readers the chance to experience the journey from their first embrace to their final goodbye. It is full of love, warmth and hope.
It is important to note that the Archbishop has never ever claimed sainthood during his lifetime, and the Dalai Lama still considers himself a simple monk. As a tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I think this unique collaboration with His Holiness the Daila Lama offered us the reflection of real lives filled with pain and turmoil in the midst of which they have been able to discover a level of peace, of courage, and of joy to which we can all aspire in our own lives.
A G Yakub
