During his 27 years in captivity, Mandela insisted on two things, gardening and sports, in addition to learning to write.
1 Gardening
Let's start with gardening. From the time he began serving his sentence on Upper Robben Island, Mandela asked the prison authorities to allow him to open a vegetable garden in his yard. At first, the prison refused without any reason. A few years later, the prison finally agreed.
Mandela cultivated a small narrow plot of land at the base of the wall opposite the cell and set up a small vegetable garden.
The land in the garden is very arid and has a lot of stones. Mandela had to dig up a lot of rocks to give the plants room to grow. Seeing that Mandela was digging quickly, some comrades joked that Mandela was an out-and-out miner, because he dug limestone in the quarry during the day and in the yard in his spare time.
Labor provides a simple but enduring satisfaction. As the owner of this small plot of land, it gave Mandela a sense of freedom.
Some psychologists have a similar view.
David Luken is a distinguished professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. In 1998, he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Psychophysiology Award by the American Psychophysiological Association. He has published a book called Happiness. We translate it as "The Psychology of Happiness".
David Luken believes that one of the creators of happiness is growing vegetables. The ancient Roman statesman Cicero said, "From agronomy I find incredible joy." Illustration: Cicero, an ancient Roman statesman.
2 Exercise
The second is exercise.
On Robben Island, Mandela still sticks to his previous boxing training model, sticking to running and physical training. In the morning, Mandela runs around his cell for 45 minutes, then does 100 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 50 squats and various other physical training activities.
Today, brain science confirms that exercise can promote brain development. The mechanism is that exercise can increase the content of brain-derived neurotrophic factors. Brain-derived neurotrophic factors provide nourishment for neurons. Neurons are the material basis of the nervous system.
Exercise can also bring joy. Its mechanism, exercise promotes the secretion of serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins. These four substances are known as happy hormones and are able to increase feelings of well-being and reduce depression and pain.
Learn from Nelson Mandela and be a happy old man. (Yang Xuexian).