Advice to a Young Brother…

Life is not easily mastered and happy is the man who is able to discern its clues. Thus the responsibility of the older is to pass along that which he knows to the younger. This advice, inspired by Emerson in his essay, “Compensation,” seeks to impart that which may be known but not yet experienced; to those who have lived but have not really lived yet. Resist any argument to the contrary knowing that I too was once a young brother…

Success ~ Everything one may gain has a price and one must be willing to pay it in order to get it. Trying to obtain without payment is a futile endeavor. You may be sitting at your job dreaming of better things, but better things will elude you while you yet dream. Promotion only comes with excellence and marginal work is reserved for those in the margins. Honesty reveals that your job is crappy because you are yet still crappy. The successful man didn’t become a success because of who he knew, but rather when the chance encounter matched his already mastered skills. There is no value in overcoming your weaknesses until you have first exploited your strengths. The musician performing to sold-out arenas first sold himself to his craft. The respected business mogul began with a lemonade stand. The athlete earning millions to play his game learned early the discipline required.

Pitfalls ~ No man ever fell into a pit that he could see. Instead the trap was hidden, concealed in a promise of never-ending pleasure. Every man has his vice, but until his vice is cornered it will soon defeat him. Wine brings forth gladness in moderation but uncontrolled brings dimness of wit and a thousand foolish decisions. Every crime exacts its punishment, but its effect is often far removed from its cause. There is no “getting over!” Getting over at work if persisted in, ends in termination though maybe for different reasons. Shirking and slothfulness require less effort but are nothing compared to the cost of recovery. Each man recovers himself as he recognizes the greater laws and finally submits himself to them. The world is founded on justice and though oft hidden, still prevails.

Women ~ A young man, clothed with genetic disadvantage is programmed to spread his seed. He is crazed over urges that perpetually prompt him and seldom has the discipline to say no. But, as each part is connected to another, when he hurts another he hurts himself in the process. A woman used as an object for sexual gratification, though willing, defies the laws of nature, as both must benefit in the process. In so taking, he wounds other souls which carries its own penalty in suffering and discontent. There is no play in being a player as the sting of deception does not discriminate its participants. The beasts of the field don’t discriminate their partners but there’s a reason we call them beasts. Proper sexual expression always has love in it for which there is no downside. Anything you must hide in the cover of secrecy and darkness will always find its way to the light whether in actuality or inside your own heart. Goodness stands upright in the light of day. Happy is the young man who carefully chooses the one as the one is all that he needed.

Associations ~  A man does not choose his companions as his companions choose him. He attracts that which he is though it be only for the moment. A true friend is one in whom you may bear your soul and not him for which you must play a role to be accepted. Bad associations with bad ideas must be avoided. A friend is one who tells you the truth and seeks your ultimate happiness over the fleeting. A right association is willing to be both teacher and student. A man should choose his friends as carefully as he watches over his bank account as he will never rise beyond the level of those with whom he associates the most.

Play ~ Play and fun are vital components of the human experience. Life without fun is not life. But fun always follows the work and never precedes it. A vacation is enjoyed only after a period of work. The unemployed does not enjoy his time off as his mind is worried about his future. Only when his future appears secured does he revel in his free time. Persisting in play at the expense of work is reserved for the children. In order to be happy a man must work, but his choice of work is always his own. All work is honorable that offers no penalty to those it effects. Engaging in illegal activities for gain, though never caught, reveals itself in negative, impoverished circumstances. Justice will always win out over illicit rewards and there is no satisfaction that parallels gain obtained by honesty and industry.

God ~ For a man to become a man he must admit that life is bigger than himself. He has but to look around him at the perfection within the creation; the breathtaking order and unparalleled intelligence behind it. He has to step down off the pedestal of self-knowledge and youthful ego and see what is literally surrounding him. Yet, it’s not until he has been severely pricked and awakened from his lethargy that he begins to contemplate the spiritual world behind things. It’s not until he finally concedes there is no way that he considers “The Way” that has been waiting for him all along. A man becomes a man when he becomes body, soul AND spirit and not until then. It’s not until he finally realizes his abilities, his gifts, were given to him in advance for him to maximize to his own and everyone else’s benefit.

You young brothers hold the future in your hands. You will knowingly or unknowingly shape the world your children will live within. By your choices and decisions you will lay the foundation for a thousand generations. Choose wisely young brothers and listen to your elders…

Just some good thoughts for young brothers…