*THE WORTH OF A MAN

“These are the things that measure the worth of a man:

                       Not how he died, but how he lived.

                      Not what he gained, but what he gave.”

      These words which form part of a poem by an Unknown Author in my mind do, by any measure one chooses to use, very effectively identify the true worth of a man. The poem continued in similar vane to identify several options for living and the choices available to persons who choose to live a life worthy of living.

As we travel along the road of life, we encounter a vast assortment of fellow travelers all of whom, like all of us, are searching for the ‘good life.’ Each time we meet one of them we find ourselves subconsciously evaluating their worth in order to decide how we should continue on. We must decide whether we should guard against or avoid the ones who are likely to harm us, or to accept and engage those who will help us. Most of the time our natural instinct will be right, but there are times when we are fooled into believing that they may be worth more than they are. That indeed is the nature of things and we must learn to accept and deal with them.

    Throughout the ages, people have been trying to find a simple formula to accurately predict the true value of a person, without ever arriving at any success conclusion;

 Marcus Aurelius, the last of the great Roman Emperors, revered as a literary master in the philosophy of service and duty, was quite definitive when he proposed that:

 “The true worth of a man is measured by the objects he pursues.”

Albert Schweitzer, the renowned German physician, theologian and humanitarian, went further when he noted that:

“The true worth of a man is not to be found in man himself, but in the colors and textures that come alive in others because of him.”

 Albert Einstein, the German-born American theoretical physicist whose work on the theory of relativity changed the course of scientific thinking in the world, was more specific when he wrote:

“The worth of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of getting.”

and Malcolm Forbes, the very successful American entrepreneur and publisher, suggested:

 “You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who do nothing for them or to them.”

          Clearly as I see it, from these quotations and the countless others scattered in the literature of the world, there is no doubt in my mind that the general consensus popularly held by most of the world’s societies can be summed up in the following assessment;

 “The true worth of any man depends much more on the quality he exhibits in respect of his relationship with other people and other things and with the environment, rather than on his own personal attributes.” 

    The real difficulty in arriving at a common agreement is that we are never strictly objective in our personal assessment of people, because we all function under differing standards and we all have our own prejudices interfering with our judgment. It is precisely because of this dichotomy that there is such inconsistency in our ability to come to a consensus, and it is this, that has often given rise to conflict and confusion. To some people, the real worth of an individual is whether he can be relied upon to be honest to himself and to others, regardless of the consequences. Others are more concerned on whether he places value rather than price on himself and on his principles. And yet others concentrate on whether emphasis is placed on self worth rather than material worth. All of these are essentially important in the final assessment but in the end it is the individual, by virtue of his character, his work and his deeds that determines the outcome.

Martin Luther King, Jr. the great civil rights leader who successfully led the movement for racial equality in America was quite fond of the following quotation:

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

 This to my mind goes to the very heart of the real value of the man. To be a man worthy of respect, one must demonstrate behavior that is driven by consistency and integrity. He must resist the tendency to readily criticize others for their faults and weaknesses while ignoring the huge gaps and deficiencies in his own ethical and moral life. Above all, he must earn the respect of others by deeds, and not by words alone. These are the defining characteristics that determine the quality of the man and predict his behavior. They have nothing to do with his capacity to attract fame and fortune, and even less with his ability to entertain masses or to build monuments.

    Today’s popular cultural attitudes seem to be projecting the image that the successful man is entitled to name his own terms, to acquire any and every toy, tool or honor he wants and to conduct his life as he pleases. It should be no surprise therefore to anyone, to witness the gross and indecent abuse of all the principles of good life being regularly conducted in the name of progress. Where politicians make decisions that benefit a privileged few at the expense of the majority, and where decisions are taken to render the majority more vulnerable while enriching the privileged few even further. Where instead of taking steps to alleviate the condition of those in need, and to relieve the pain of those who suffer, attempts are made to isolate and disenfranchise them further. And even further, where people, and communities and nations are allowed to suffer from deprivation and want, while others selfishly enjoy the benefits of today’s advances in science and opportunity. By any standard and by any measure this behavior rates at the poorest level of humanity.

Albert Schweitzer in his masterpiece The Philosophy of Civilization, which was published in 1923, dealt extensively with this subject when he recorded the following observation:

“Civilization can only revive when there shall come into being in a number of individuals a new tone of mind, independent of the prevalent one among the crowds, and in opposition to it. A tone of mind, which will gradually win influence over the collective one and in the end determine its character. Only an ethical movement can rescue us from this barbarism; -and the ethical comes into existence only in the individual.”

 His book, published almost a century ago, lamented the degradation of the value of man and his increasingly unethical behavior. In spite of the passage of time, it still gives the contemporary reader an opportunity to read his prophetic thought and to learn the importance of “Reverence of Life.”  And the need for us to recognize that change will only come when we take the initiative to institute change.

 All that needs to be added to this, is the hope that from the many good, ethical and moral people in this world who harbor the same dream, the day will soon come when they will rise up to the occasion and begin to recognize the true worth of a man. 

  -In the light of the prevailing conditions that exist presently in the world around us, my only concern is:   -Will that day come in my lifetime?            

                                  

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                                                            *The Measure of a Man

These are the things that measure the worth of a man as a man,  regardless  of birth;

                                 Not – How did he die? But – How did he live?
                                 Not – What did he gain? But – What did he give?

Not – What was his station? But – had he a heart?
And – How did he play his God-given part?

Was he ever ready with a word of good cheer?
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?

Not – What was his church? Not – What was his creed?
But – Had he befriended those really in need?

Not – What did the sketch in the newspaper say?
But – How many were sorry when he passed away?

These are the things that measure the worth of a man as a man, regardless of birth.”

                                                                                                                                                                         -Unknown

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