Now some of us have actually lived
in places or been in situations where this reaction might be a necessary survival
skill. Police officers, military personnel
and some others may have to make snap decisions about life or death in order to
stay alive, but most of us are just average guys living mundane lives whose
biggest decision is to decide what shirt to put on when we get dressed in the
morning.
So what is it inside that makes us judgmental
of where/how we rank compared to those around us?
Now I’ll admit, when I was in my
younger days and growing up through high school, this was much more of an issue
than it is now that I have matured and discovered what it means to really be a
man (but we will talk about that later on in this story). Now, I’m not saying that I was a thug who
used to go around looking for a fight or beating people up. On the contrary, I
was a pretty mild mannered guy who tried to be amiable to other people around
me (at least I hope I was).
Nevertheless, I lifted weights,
participated in athletics and even took several years of karate during my
formative years. I knew that I wasn’t
the toughest guy around, but I was confident that I could handle myself if push
actually did come to shove. And I think
that confidence actually helped keep me out of more trouble than it got me
into.
There were some guys who always
seemed to have to publicly prove how tough they “thought” they were. They were the loud mouthed, braggadocios who
were always popping off and giving those they deemed as weaker a hard
time. The classic Bullies.
I witnessed this backfire on several
occasions though, which was actually quite hilarious! I remember one particular thug who thought he
was “all that and a bag of chips”, who teased a very quiet and reserved
classmate in the locker room at P.E., a few moments later the bully was down
and out with blood gushing out his nostrils on the dingy tile floor with a
broken nose and eyes that resembled a raccoon for several weeks.
Another time I witnessed 3 kids
trying to pick a fight with another single boy who had supposedly offended one
of their girlfriends. The single guy,
who was just an average high school teenager, dropped two of them onto the
asphalt between the cars in the parking lot before they could finish accusing
him, while the third stunned guy backed away in shame, not wanting anything to
do with the flying fists of fury.
I had multiple occasions where other
guys came up to me looking for trouble.
Once, while changing after a high school football practice, a Senior teammate
who felt he had to prove a point of his rank, approached me with some
derogatory comments and got in my face expecting me to back down or cower
away. I was in good shape, was bigger
than he was, and had 4 years of karate under my belt, but he didn’t know
that. Out of nowhere he was in my face
taunting me with words I won’t repeat here in the public forum. I didn’t flinch, but instead confidently
turned to face him and said, “Are you absolutely sure you want to find out how UN-tough you really are?”
He cowered a
bit, dropped his eyes to the floor, then cracked a nervous smile and attempted
to joke, “Ha, I was just kidding man,” then tucked his invisible tail between
his legs and slunk away.
Although I’m a pretty passive and
relaxed guy, I have been in a few actual fights in my day, and I can tell you
one thing. It’s not like in the
movies. People fight dirty and things
aren’t fair, and even if you clean some guys clock in self-defense, you are most
likely going to come away with a few lumps, scrapes or even a broken hand from
where you knocked a guy out by punching him in the forehead. (I was aiming for
his nose, but he flinched and ducked… but that’s another story).
Now that I have matured, I usually don’t
walk into a place and size everyone up.
But for some reason I still like to be aware of my surroundings, sit in
the table or booth at the restaurant where my back is against a wall and I can
see everyone else in the place, etc… I
think this habit is more out of wanting to protect my wife or kids when out in
public then it is about seeing where I rank on the toughness scale.
Women are a different situation
altogether. Instead of thinking about
fighting, they go into a room judging how their appearances rank next to
everyone else. I’ll save all the ladies
in the world the trouble right now by saying that wherever my wife goes, she
will ALWAYS
be the best looking lady in the place, so you will just have to settle for
sorting yourselves out below her!
So I guess what I’m getting at is
that although we like to try to rank ourselves compared to everyone else around
us, thinking we are tough or in charge of the situation, is really all just an
illusion.
To illustrate this point, let me
share a short story with you. I was a
young father, who was playing with my oldest son, who happened to be 3 years
old at the time. I was a fit 6’3”, 230
pound lean machine at that time. We were
on the trampoline and I was on my knees as he stood in front of me. We were playing ninjas or some other game I
can’t remember, but I was pretending to fight him and have a good time. Then, without expecting it, my cute, cuddly
little tike hauled off a stiff right jab which caught me right in the eye. Trouble was, his little fisted knuckles were
small enough to fit right inside my eye socket and smack me right on the
eyeball! Clutching my optic orb in
throbbing pain with both hands, my 3 year old ninja then kicked me right-square
in the crotch with a perfect strike that would have made Chuck Norris jealous
with envy!
Toppled into a helpless heap on the
trampoline, one hand on my eye and the other covering a different part of
anatomy, my son jumped and pounced on me with merciless, laughter-filled abandon,
as I thought in agony, “What the…? I just totally got the crap beat out of me
by a 3 year old!”
The main point of the story is
this. Most of what we consider to be
strength, control, intelligence, fitness, good looks, financial security, etc…
is really just a sham. Everything we
have of each and every moment of each and every day is a gift from God, and can
be taken away in an instant. Health can
change with sudden illness, accidents can cripple and maim, jobs can be lost, good
looks fade and change with age and somebody tougher is always just around the
corner.
The key to being a real man and
having real strength and security comes from knowing how weak and vulnerable we
all really are. With that humility, we
can then finally realize our dependence upon God, and if we are willing to turn
to Him and rely upon Him, and be grateful for the precious gifts and
experiences he grants us each day or our existence, then we can come to know
that He is our loving, merciful, gracious and kind Heavenly Father. And knowing that, we can understand that we
are indeed His children, and are eternally precious in His sight. With that knowledge comes true confidence in
our standing and abilities, for we begin to see the potential of what it is we
can become if we will trust and follow Him!
I’m thankful for the moments of my life which have literally
driven me to my knees, humbled me, and forced me to turn unto the true Alpha
and Omega of all beings, for in and through Him, I can hold my head high and
stand with confidence before the world. This perspective also allows me to see the
divine potential of those around me with more clarity as well. And in a world full of so much deception,
lies, bullying and malice, the knowledge of who we truly are is the remedy that
each and every one of us need to make this world a better place!
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