Against the night sky, I heard a woman's voice praising "Madiba," over singing, amens and hallelujahs. I walked on and saw joyous, defiant dancing by candlelight. My long way home took me by the South African embassy. Outside was Nelson Mandela's life-size statue, with the fist raised in triumph over people praying and praising his life.

I joined the large circle huddled in the cold, black and white, a miniature of racial reconciliation. The beloved champion of political freedom, on a journey from prisoner to president, had died in peace. But his spirit was right there with us.

The whole world: We were Mandela's people. I think we know that better now that he is gone. The world has not wept for a leader like that for a long time, and in a way, it was humbling. With Mandela's death, we suddenly have an expanded awareness of the world at large.

Scenes from South Africa show the world is not just about us anymore. That's a pretty clear takeaway for 2013. Nearly 100 heads of state flew to the end of the earth to attend Mandela's funeral. Not to mention that three past U.S. presidents made the trip: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. They did us proud by showing respect for greatness that went way beyond protocol.

How refreshing, to be good citizens belonging to the world community at an event of great moment. That's not always the way we are seen. It's not always the way we act. President Obama did the right thing, the generous Mandela thing, by shaking Raul Castro's hand; why be Cold War enemies with Cuba forever?

Bill Clinton was especially close to Mandela, as he was to the slain Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and revered him like a son. The love, dignity and inspiration Mandela gave for free, his smiles like sunlight, can never be counted. The torrents at his funeral seemed like tears from the heavens.

At a rare moment in time, we can take the chance to enlarge our worldview and adjust accordingly from the old "first among equals" place at the table. That family china has seen better days. For one thing, we are not as admired abroad, starting with the Iraq War Bush started in the shadows of September 11th.

The recent Edward Snowden disclosures on our massive NSA spy operations did not go over well either. The president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, cancelled her plans to attend a White House state dinner in protest, a world-class snub. Then there's always the Gitmo nightmare. As citizens, we don't know how much good will we lost — in the eyes of our allies — by these three things alone.

I consider myself well informed about American politics. However, I was a bit lost at a foreign policy lunch as the speaker put global puzzle pieces together. America's view of the world is like the New Yorker's view of the country, if you've seen the Saul Steinberg cartoon.

Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, spoke at the Center for the National Interest in broad brushstrokes. He remarked that China and Japan, historical enemies, are still are on extremely bad terms — news to me.

Secretary of State John Kerry's focus on the Middle East peace process, searching for a way forward with Israel and the Palestinians, is energetic, but may not be as important as it once was. Kerry's traditional emphasis on Europe, NATO and the Middle East, Bremmer said, may neglect the "pivot toward Asia" that Secretary of State Clinton initiated. All in all, he suggested, foreign policy is not Obama's strong suit now. That's a shame, since 2013 was his weakest year on the home front.

Mandela's greatest lessons were by example. Obama, a fatherless son who has also looked up to Madiba, can try to make us more at home in the world — and make the world more at home with us.

To find out more about Jamie Stiehm, and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com