Mommy mommy..whats a Man?

What is a man? And what defines the lines of distinction between a good man and a bad one? In simplistic terms, a good man is one who follows the law and a bad one doesn't and ends up sooner or later in jail. Yeah, but simplistic terms only serve to define the action of robots. The shades do not end at black and white. There are a whole variety of actions in between. Like if a man is angered beyond all angers. If say he found out the woman he was to be married to was found sleeping with another man. And he gets bloody furious and mad and he wants to cause harm unto the other man. But the law forbids it. So he sits and gets angry about himself. And slowly bit by bit, the fire burns him inside. Dissolves his self-image, burns away his soul. He is a MAN! and he is angry! but he is helpless to act but in not venting his anger, he has fallen into the category of a good man because he has kept the law of not only the criminal justice system, but the law of his God as well. But now he ends up a bitter shell of his former self. Angry at everything because its in his blood now.

What then about the man, who is the boss of a major company. But say this company is losing profit as the result of turbulent economical times. He is worried cause if profits drop anymore, he will no longer be able to afford his luxury car, his private jet, he will no longer be able to support his wife's expenditure or he himself will have to sacrifice his million dollar mansion and maybe move to a smaller house. So instead, he fires 5000 people from his company. He puts 5000 people out a job because he cannot afford to keep them under his payroll. Never mind about their families. Never mind about Christmas this year for them. I mean yeah, its alright, he hasn't broken the law. He still donates money to his church. He's alright. He's a good man...right?

What about the man, who works hard from day to night. Takes care of his kids, pays the bills, eventhough they maybe a little overdue sometimes. The man, who loves his wife, and she loves him in return. He goes out on Friday nights with his friends, drinks a little beer, gambles a little, texas hold'em. But he doesn't go to church or nothing. He taps cable cause the bills are sometimes too high. He lies a little on his taxes. What about him?

Men go about their business, but I believe, there is no distinct right or wrong. Its just part of human nature to try to seperate between the two. No religion or law on this earth can imprison a man because no matter what, he is free. What defines a man is his responsibility towards his actions. If he's a major asshole, then so be it. But he should be responsible for what he is doing. Every decision we make, well we gotta be responsible for it. The good and the bad.

Rudyard Kipling - If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Its a silent prayer for me. In times when the shit hits the ceilang fan, it keeps me calm. This old croney really knows his stuff. I only wish he was still alive so I could ask him for some advice!

What about me? Who am I?