Granted that we are numbed or neutered beyond all belief as men we all have convictions that tug and weigh on our hearts. Some of these convictions are foolish and time may show us the error of our ways. Others are good and need to be brought to fulfillment and others could end up going either way. But nevertheless we all have convictions in our heart. We all have a certain idea of what we should do with our lives and time.
And the way things ought to be. These are going to be different for different men. Hopefully your convictions are things you’ve reached after much thought, meditation, testing, and deliberation. Hopefully they are things that are wise and good (the true good not necessarily what society would call morally good) and worthy of a man. But while we all have convictions not everyone does what he needs to do with them
Life is constant struggle. This doesn’t mean that life is bad of course, just that there is always a struggle going on in some part of your life. That starts from the day we are born and (at least in this world) ends when we die. Some react to this by curling up into a ball and hoping life isn’t too rough with them. Some react by burying themselves in numbing agents or work or something else to ignore it. While others keep fighting with life until the very end.
Got To Stand For Something
Or you’ll fall for anything as the old song goes. But like I was saying most men do not stand by their convictions and they do not seek to make them known in the world. Maybe one man’s conviction is that he’d make a great local politician and wants to run. Maybe that’ll end up being a terrible idea or maybe it’ll end up being a great blessing to his own life and the town’s life. But in order to be a man he must go out and try to make his convictions real.
He must go out and try to run. Otherwise he’ll end up dying with convictions in his heart which leads to regret and a life not well lived. Maybe another man’s conviction is that he needs to start a website supporting a certain cause, maybe another’s is he should work a certain job, marry a certain woman, move to a certain state, and so on and so forth. And while one must always take time to think once that is done then one must take action and act on the things that are within their heart.
This is what a man does. He acts on that which he is convicted of. There is a reason that certain things are put on your heart and we all have a certain song that our soul wants to sing. When we fail to do this we fail our manhood and end up as Thoreau would say living lives of quiet desperation. And that’s not way to live and can lead to dark places when one realizes it.
What Are Your Convictions?
The first thing to do is find out what your convictions are. This will require thought, time, quiet space, and meditation. And they’ll come into focus slowly but surely and may change as you grow which is perfectly fine. So long as you move forward and take action on them after finding out what they are and what they mean to you. I’d avoid political and religious things (but not spiritual) simply because both of those are generally others convictions thrusted on you but to each their own.
You may very well be convicted in such a manner and you’ll know better than anyone. But take the time to think about these things and work through them. Find out the things you truly believe, care about, and that are important to you and then work to make sure you’re living in such a way that reflects that. Otherwise you’ll regret it.
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-Charles Sledge
