:Submitted for your approval:
:Great Men * or Women:
A thought struck me today. I am not a great man. I wish I was a great man, but I'm not. This started to lead to me questioning why this fact is what it is. This led to me asking about the qualities of the great men of history. What did they have that I don't have? What am I missing? What can I do about it?
First of all, lets look into my mind set for the last couple of days. First off I have been reading a lot. One of these books is called "pastwatch" by Orson Scott Card. It wasn't the best book in the world, but It did bring up interesting thought patterns. One thing that it brought up was talking about Christopher Columbus and the type of person he is. [Don't ask, I've allready tried to describe the book to other people, and they just thought I was nuts.] The book described his deadication, and a lot of key points in his life that shaped him to be the way he was. I took this at face value, but then I continued reading.
The event that Finaly drew all of my thoughts together was that of today. First let me give you some background. I am in my 4th week working. There is someone that started working the same job as I am two weeks ago. They got to present a powerpoint presentation about the important work that they have been doing, while I have yet to do anything like that. Why? I know the equipment better than this person. I have been here longer than this person. I work longer hours than this person. BUt it doesn't have to do with the work. It has everything to do with how you carry yourself and what drives you, and these factors seperate me from this new worker in just as much magnatude as North is separated from south.
Ok, There are three things that a person has to do to be a Great Man.
(1) One thing is that they have to have a goal. Some type of goal that permiates through their life. This goal can be anything from starting a war for beliefes to trying to live a healthy and happy life. It is not so much the goal that is the important thing, but rather it is the drive. The urge to always be focused and determined.
(2) Another thing that a Great Man has to have is belief in something. A faith in his work, or the work of others, or his cause. This is very similar to a goal, but not exactly. If the goal is the drive, the belief is the fuel. A Great Man draws strength from his beliefs, and will not stop until they are dead or their beliefs are broken. This makes Great Men nearly unstopable, unless faced by another Great Man, or overwhelming odds that completely shatter his determination.
(3) Finaly and most importantly is the Great Mans verbal skills. I Great Man can not be great on his own. To be a Great Man means that others put faith in you and your abilities. No matter how Strong, faithful, or driven any person is, if they do not have people who believe in them, they will fail. This means that typicly Great Men are loud and speak when they shouldn't or arn't supposed to. Great Men motivate others and get things done. You might try and rack your brain for some Great Men that were soft spoken or quiet. I can tell you now, that these type of people do not exist. If a Great Man is quiet, there can be two reasons for this; One, The man allows his actions to speak for him, and is not as quiet as he appears(ex: Dalai Lama); Two, The man is not actually a Great Man, but rather a puppet for another Great Man (ex: George W. Bush).
So, finaly my mind has come to the conclusion of what I need to do to fall into the ranks of Great Men, and why I have not yet. I am a very driven person, that has beliefs that I act upon dayly. Time and time again I have defended my morals to help the unfortunate at the risk of myself. When I have obtained a task, I will work until it is completed, or I physicly can no longer work. My problem is that I don't speak much. I have been taught from child hood to be quite and respectful of others. To help others where I can, and to never fight for myself or what I need. This has led to me doing nothing but helping others. And not just mildly either, I will sacraftice much of myself to help people that I hardly know. How can this be good? I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside, but eventually this will destroy me. There is only a finite amount that I can give, and the more I give, the less I am. I am not a Great Man, and infact I have trouble believing that I am acatually a man. I Don't Speak Until Spoken to. I Respect Others Thoughts and Feelings Before my Own. I Work More than Those I Work For. I Am A Mediator That Refuses to Take a Side. It makes me sick when I think about it. I am human, don't I deserve the self centered thoughts that others have. Don't I deserve to hold my life for myself and not for strangers. I have no idea how to live these things, but I will learn.
My goal is to become a Great Man.
My Drive is the anger that I feel for unfruitful work, and false Great Men.
My Faith is that of Morals and of Science, for with both humanity and the Univers will bow before you.