ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH?

Hello, hoping that you have been keeping safe. Today, I want to reach out to the men or the boys yet to be men who are reading this or will read this. Are you man enough? Don’t look at the page puzzled with the question I have asked. I am not challenging your masculinity; it is not my place. What I am simply inquiring into is, are you the man you are meant to be? It may seem confusing, but I will try my best to clarify this so as not to get you more confused like the way our government continuous to bombard us with contradicting information. 

When you got conceived & it was noted that your species identified with the male persona, am sure or am guessing (not sure which is which) the village celebrated with your parents or guardians. The calabashes were filled with the sour porridge & in case of the fortunate one’s crates of sodas were popped open that a warrior was born among them. The ululations by the women & the shrill by the local girls must have been deafening. The village was a buzz that one more was added to their number. 

It was then that your fate was sealed that you were going to be a man in the not so far of future. From the time that you were able to talk, walk & stare at the world your training like that of a gladiator took off. Innocent as you were, you were taught how to behave among men both young & most importantly among the old. Your voice was to be that of reason, of comfort, of guidance, of wisdom, of protection & so on. You were now christened the beast of burden to shoulder the responsibilities of doing right by your family. 

In the absence of your father, it was you who was deemed to be the one who was to take care of the family. In your everyday living no-one ever imagines taking the place of the father who you may or may not respect for what he does for the family. Please don’t get me wrong I have no ill motives towards those from whose loins we migrated from. One thing that any man who has been brought up right or in accordance to the expected standards is that he is meant to be one whom others can look up to. 

Some or many of you may have heard this preached, taught or drummed into their medulla oblongata that a man ought to be a protector, provider, priest & leader. This is to simply mean that you as a man, you are meant to protect those who are weak in times of danger & from adversities that may arise. As a man you are meant to be a provider, ensuring that your family does not lack, if not married that would translate to your immediate family members or close friends or those in need. 

A man is expected to be a priest that is to mean that you are to guide those around you in the righteous way, if you are a religious man to be the one who teaches the way of the Lord, live it & show by example. A man is expected to be a leader, you are meant to face life head on & show the way to go. It may seem like a lot is expected from a man but you need to understand that you are engineered for this. Life is not meant to be like the well-manicured gardens in estates, it is meant to be like a storm ravaged sea or ocean to keep you on your toes. 

There should be no slacking on your part but do remember that though you are expected to be all of the above does not mean that you heart should be cold as ice. You are also meant to be a lover of all & without discrimination as to who gets your affection (be advised that this ought to be cautiously dished out). The world outside there is cruel, dark, unpleasant, unfair, draining among many other descriptive words that exist. Your perspective of life is determined by you & no one else. 

We as man have the roles that have been designated to us & yes it may seem to much but all I can tell you, man up! Nothing in this life is going to be easy unless you are one who enjoys taking short cuts here & there to get that which you desire or lust for. All that I am just putting out there is that you need to be a man enough & know that though life is unpredictable you are the strength of others as this has & is your God given duty. It is notable that as soon as you are deemed a man, your roles & responsibilities increase in an instant. 

I always joking with some of my friends that we were lied to about adulting. We were never cautioned about the toil it will take on us. Anyway I want you to look at the image in this article & see if what is stated relates to you. If not, you need to work on yourself, knowing that others look up to you (but this is a choice for you). How can you do this? Well for starters you can look at the friends you hang out & if they are a bad influence you need to cut them off & banish them like the plague before your character becomes rotten. 

You can also join men groups & of late this have become common but please not the ones that degrade girls or women & do trash talk. An example would be like running groups where you meet up with other men whom you can relate to. The best guide book that I can recommend is the Bible. I am not saying that it is a must, you can choose which ever religious book that you may deem worthy, for myself am affiliated to the Holy Scriptures as that is where I get the guidance to make it through. Examine the music that you listen to or the programs that you watch. Is what you listen to, demeaning, degrading, using a lot of curse words & so on. If so, you better check the influence it is having on your life.

I will leave you with these words from Les Brown, “I choose to not to be a common man, it is my right to be uncommon if I can. I seek opportunity and not security, I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dull by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk, to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to live from hand to mouth, I prefer the challenges of life, to the guaranteed existence. The thrill of fulfillment to the state of a utopia. I will never fear before any master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, prouder than afraid to face the world boldly and say this I have done”.