#27. Twenty-seven years

Nelson Mandela spent ( ماندن ) 27 years in prison because of the color of his skin. He wanted all people, black, white, brown, to have equal rights ( حقوق بشر ). For this he spent 27 years in prison.

Every day, the prisoners ( زندانیان ) worked breaking rocks (برای شکستن سنگ) into stones. But as the men worked, they talked about great ideas ( ایده های عالی ). They talked about how to build a better country. They were thinking, learning! It was a secret school. Mr. Mandela said that to share great ideas gave them courage (شجاعت) to do better ( بهتر ) than their best ( بهترین ). His body was in prison, but his mind was not in prison!    
     When he was in prison, Mr. Mandela learned to speak Afrikaans: the language of his enemy ( دشمن ). Why? Because he knew one day he would be free ( آزاد بودن ) and help his country.  He knew a country cannot live by war but by learning to understand each other (یکدیگر); respect (احترام گذاشتن) others. He had to learn to speak to his enemies.    
     After Nelson Mandela left prison, he did not look back ( پشتسرت را نگاه نکن ). He did not return to prison ( بازگشت به زندان ) in his mind. At the end of his life he said, "You have a limited time ( زمان محدود ) on earth. You must try ( برای تلاش دوباره ) to use that time for the purpose ( هدف ) of making your country into what you want it to be."
     He became President of South Africa. He united ( برای متحد شدن ) his country. He lifted up ( برای بلند کردن ) the whole world.