A Man

[An older writing.]

A man is not bounded by the things that fates throw at him, but by the direction and intensity of his soul. A stout-hearted man is not is not tossed by the current and tides of public opinion, but follows his own path, sometimes through the briers, sometimes through the fields.

Though he is tugged at from all sides by gossip, fortune & ill will, the inner strength at his core supports him and allows him to brave the distractions around him and stay true to his course.

Every man at times in his life finds himself wandering away from his great path and it is up to his courage and inner power to return to the knowledge and truth that supports him on his quest. His path never ends because each fork in his path is a new beginning and a new chance to choose the way that will help him treat himself and his fellow man with dignity & honor.

Anger, hate, dislike, fear and ignorance conspire against him and he must always be on alert, Most of all ignorance. If he concentrates on these things, they will overpower him. He must not be searching for these things to destroy them, for they will destroy him. He must not seek to avoid the terrible and unpleasant things that he encounters. He must instead seek to learn the lessons that these things afford him.

A true man sees the good in all things and is able to learn from the trials that he encounters. He sees the beauty in all people and ignores the unhealthy thoughts and fears that others may, knowing or unknowing, throw in his way. He realizes that all men have a tendency to allow the force of events around them to affect him in negative ways. Some people have lost their way on their own path and wish to draw you with them, for their path is a very lonely one to follow. Do not be coerced or led astray. Do your best to show them that love, honesty & charity can guide them from their desolate path and bring them back into the warmth and light of a caring outlook.

They say that misery loves company, but that is also true of those with a good heart. We all want to share what we feel and it is up to us to decide which of these paths we truly desire to follow. Bad things happen to good or bad people. It’s only which direction that we let these things lead us that we are truly defined.

The most destructive thing to our character is the amount of negative energy that we allow our past experiences to color our view of the present. Our past is our worst enemy unless we use that past to learn what things we are going to present to those we encounter. We are not as we are perceived. Any lie that we hold inwardly is our true self. What we hide is what we are. A man with no inner secrets is a true man. A man, who sees things in himself that he would find offensive in others, is only lying to himself.

You must be what you wish others to be. You must give only that which you wish to receive. You must love to be worthy of love. And always remember, any faults that you find in others are only a reflection of your ability to truly care.