The celebration of Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday last week and former US president Barack Obama's address at the occasion brought warmth to my heart, but also caused me to ask with Obama: Were we who believed in a progressive vision of tolerance, a common humanity, a caring, open society and social justice nave? Is this vision dead? "Progressive" is the key word here. Many associate it with left-wing political thinking, others with liberalism, yet others claim the title but are anything but progressive.