A woman for humanity, Dr Maya Angelou

In honor of the great Maya Angelou’s passing yesterday, I thought it only right to tribute her life with a short dedication. Cliché as it may sound; she is a constant breath of inspiration that drives me when my will is at its lowest. Her extensive achievements remind me that impossible is only an idea that I have planted at the forefront of my mind and have made myself believe. Angelou’s voice oozed a humble confidence when she spoke her words, knowing full well they were shaping and changing modern attitudes. Her enlightened view on issues such as women’s suffrage was distinctive and individualistic.  She was a woman for the people, and more importantly she was a woman for herself - never changing for anyone, never suppressing her identity. She encompassed what it was to be human, and she taught others to recognize the importance of their own humanity. Whilst death is inevitably a sorrowful event, her own philosophies remove any sort of tragic sensation from her own end.

‘Love liberates’ was a moving truth, characterized by her mother, upbringing and experience. The beauty of surrendering your own ego to the infinite power of love and belief goes far beyond any sort of prayer to reach a state of personal and mental liberation. As her mother was inspiration to her that she could be somebody, ‘Baby, you are the greatest woman I’ve ever met.’ The idea that true love is a selfless and unforced emotion that provides the foundation for another, to grow and learn to love them-selves, is wonderfully profound. Watching this video sparked tears, not because she is gone or because I could not comprehend her feelings. It was due to the fact that she was here and that I am fortunate to bear the name of parents that have liberated me with their everlasting and unconditional love. A feeling can often seem like a simple and irrelevant thing. But in the truth of the matter as the great Dr. once said, ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’