Having discussed about Creativity as a measure of a true man, we move on to discuss another important attribute – CHARACTER. By character I mean the true essence of who a person is. Character refers to the consistencies of a person`s words, thoughts and actions. Character refers to the real fabric of who you are. If I ask you that “who are you?” you will most likely tell me your name. That is not wrong, but the paradox is that your name does not fully answer the question “who are you?” What your name gives primarily, is an identity. It does not give a picture of who you really are. Character is what makes a name to become a brand. For a name to become a brand, it has to be associated with something. The very first and easiest thing your name can be associated with is your character.
Human beings hear in pictures. This is what I mean – if I mention the word “bag” to a 6 year old, what first comes to his mind is a mental picture of a bag. This is because he has seen a bag before and it had registered on his mind. If I say “hyrax”, he might ask me what that is. This is because he most likely has not seen one before. A hyrax is an ancient animal, so he might not have seen the picture anywhere.
In like manner, a person`s character is what creates a true picture of him in the mind of other people. Beyond your physical attributes, your character goes a long way to describe who you really are. So when your name is mentioned, your character is what comes to the mind of someone that knows you. Someone once said your character is who you are when no one is looking. That tells me that character is not formed in public. It is developed in private but it can not be hidden from the public. As my people will say “character is like smoke”.
How would the people who have known you for a long time describe you? What one word would such people use to describe you? A real man is a man of positive and enviable character. Will people who have met you describe you with any of the following words – dubious, wicked, selfish, greedy, violent, or will you be described with the following words – sincere, loyal, courageous, patient?
SINCERITY is a mark of being a real man. To be sincere is to be honest and open. How honest and open is your line of business? Do you pay the right kind of tax for your business? Can your clients and people you do business with take your word at face value? The Bible says let your “YES” be “YES” and your “NO” be “NO”. Can you be trusted to keep your word? Remember, your word is your bond. Be a real man, be sincere.
LOYALTY is a virtue in short supply. Loyalty means to be faithful to whatever cause you are involved in. You as a man are involved in several causes – family, work, business, friends, organisation, country and God. How committed are you to these causes. If you were committed to your family, you would be faithful to your wife and provide for your children. If you were committed to your nation, you would not soil her image. The wisest man who ever lived said “many a man will proclaim each his own goodness, but a faithful (loyal) man who can find”. You can be that faithful man.
COURAGE is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action. Life they say, is not a bed of roses. There will be difficult times and there will be discouraging situations. Courage is not the absence of a storm but in spite of the storm, still steering towards your course. Courage is personal resoluteness in the face of danger or difficulties. As a man you can not afford to chicken out in difficult times. No soldier becomes a General without fighting and winning battles. Stand, fight and win. Like someone said, when I was in school and there was a student protest, “if we fight we may win but if we do not fight we have lost”. Be a man, if life throws you lemons, make lemonade.
PATIENCE is the capacity to wait for something. We live in a “Microwave generation”. There is instant coffee, instant food, instant cash, instant anything, and even instant miracles. We no longer want delayed gratification. We want it now. Life does not always favour the microwave mentality. The creator made life to run on processes. Think about it, God took six days to create the world, but could he not have created everything in an instant, since He is God? I think God wanted us to learn a lesson there. To always allow the process to take it`s full course. Real men understand the benefit of not disrupting process. Wait patiently, do not be driven by desperation. Children are the ones that always want it now. Be a man.
These character traits are not exhaustive. The list is endless. Real men of good character are scarce. This is a clarion for men of character in our generation. WILL THE REAL MEN PLEASE STAND UP?
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