There will be a time, when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.
I have read tons and tons of books, novels and thrillers and what not since my childhood, and nothing echoes in between my ears than this quote. It's so powerful, yet so simple. Hands down this has been my most favorite quote for the past 19-20 years or so, basically since I was 7-8 year old kid!
Doing the right thing is very often not the easiest thing to do. It takes a great deal of courage to be able to stand up for what one believes and put a solid foot down, do what is right!
A great deal of what Being a Man means is resilience of character. To me, being a man is not about how many dead-lifts you did at the gym! Being a man is about taking a control of a difficult situation, and standing up for doing what is the right thing to do. In doing so, you'll very likely piss of a lot of people, create a lot of enemies. But none of that matters as long as you've stood up for yourself, stood up for what is right.
I used to be a people pleaser. There were so may times I chose to sacrifice what I wanted just to keep people around me happy and make myself miserable. Now don't get me wrong, it is equally essential we don't confuse between standing up for oneself and being selfish! There is nothing manly about being selfish. Do not be an asshole! In fact, compromising is a character train I strongly associate with part of becoming a man. Becoming a man requires you to understand when you must choose the right decision over the easy decision!
As I said, I used to be a people pleaser. And I have made too many compromises, to the point I didn't know who I was myself. I lost myself, my identity. I began to question my own resilience, up until just recently when I had enough! I went down to the deepest depths of depression and the only way from there for me was either up or away from this world!
Oh what a mysterious game life likes to play, doesn't it! When I was at the verge of giving up, once and for all, life presented me with a choice. A choice between what is easy and what is right! The Irony! It brought my most favorite quote from my childhood and dished it up in front of me, as if life was testing me : Let's see what you've learnt from what you claim to be your favorite quote!
Oh life, you sly bastard!
I knew what I had to do. Even though I was just this close from choosing the easy way out, I hung in there. Holding on to the last thread of hope, I stood up for myself! And boy oh boy was it tough! It took me 27 years of my life to learn to finally stand up for myself, to finally Become a Man.
This is what I take pride in! To all those of you out there reading this post, standing up for yourself, standing up for what is right defines your masculinity, makes you resilient, teaches you to take control.
Always remember, we all at some point in our lives will have to face the choice between what is easy and what is right! Make your choice wisely!
BDCommunity Witness
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