GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020 - 19

cover story
adversity. They also laughed, cried, prayed, and even
danced together to "We Are the World."

Be like Arch: How the archbishop's
teachings can help us right now

Arch nearly didn't survive to
adulthood

How can we learn to adopt a positive attitude in a
world where stress, anger, anxiety, and sadness are
rampant?
Find meaning in adversity
"Something the Archbishop said has always stayed
with me: Suffering can either embitter us or ennoble us," Doug Abrams recalls. "He's been able to take
that suffering, whether it was illness, or the struggle
against apartheid, and find meaning in it and use it as
a source of motivation to benefit others." Suffering is
part of the human condition, says the Archbishop, but
it can become a tool of transformation. He often points
out that Nelson Mandela used his years of suffering
in prison at Robben Island to grow and develop into a
person who could unite his country.
Shift your perspective
Recognize that heartache and upheaval are only a
very small part of what is happening in the world. Focus
on the acts of kindness that are taking place. There are
many people who care. Doug Abrams notes, "There's
that extraordinary picture of doctors and nurses who
were flying to New York to help with the coronavirus
pandemic." Listen to the voices that pull us toward
compassion, generosity, and love. He cites what the
Archbishop says in The Book of Joy: When we're able to
shift beyond self-preoccupation and really be of service to something greater than ourselves, the heartache
doesn't become all consuming."

It's amazing that the Archbishop made it to where
he is today. He nearly didn't survive his childhood.
Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born to a poor family in
1931 in Klerksdorp in racially segregated South Africa.
His middle name means "life," perhaps a foreshadowing of his amazing resilience. Two of his brothers
died in infancy, and Desmond was sickly from birth.
He had polio as a child, which caused his right arm to
be weak and atrophied, and he was once hospitalized
for severe burns. His parents valued education, and his
father became a primary school principal. Although he
was baptized a Methodist, the family later converted
to the Anglican Church.
Desmond wanted to study medicine but couldn't
afford the tuition. He married his wife, Leah, and
became a teacher. But as apartheid grew stricter and
more onerous-Black children were forced to receive
a "Bantu" education to prepare them to be servants-
he and Leah wanted a better life for their children.
Desmond became an ordained Anglican minister in
1960, and Leah trained as a nurse. Tutu showed such
brilliance and passion for the ministry that he was
sent to study at King's College London along with
his family. He reveled in the freedom from apartheid
("There was racism in England, but we did not feel it,"
he said) and ministered to a white congregation in
Surrey.
In official church capacities, he traveled widely in
19 GRAND

FALL 2020

Watch a tribute to Nobel Peace Prize-winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu's
life and work. Listen to former South African President Nelson Mandela,
other Nobel Peace Prize recipients, and inspiring achievers speak about
the leadership of Archbishop Tutu in post-apartheid South Africa in the film
Just Call Me Arch.

Europe, Africa, and the U.S., learning about liberation
movements and honing his ability to relate to people
in all their infinite variety. Eventually he moved up
to the highest level in the Anglican Church in South
Africa, as the first Black Archbishop of Cape Town in
1986. He oversaw the introduction of women priests
and became deeply involved in freeing his country
from apartheid. He has gone on to champion gender
and racial equality and human rights movements
around the world.
The amazing thing is that in spite of all the obstacles and suffering he has endured-polio as a child,
prostate cancer more recently, and, of course, apartheid-Tutu has managed to consistently express joy.
You look at his face, glowing with joy and humor, and
you feel there is goodness in the world.

Continued on next page

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GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020

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