On Great Men

On Great Men

There have always been great men on the surface of the earth. Simply put, great men influence the earth and everything on it—the seas and oceans inclusive.

Males grow from toddlers into boys, then into youths, into young men, and finally into men. The kind of men they become differs, depending on how they’re wired—some become rich men, others intelligent men, good men, wise men, strong men and so on.

While emotional maturity helps a man become a more refined individual, it is the continual exhibition of masculinity that makes men and keeps them men. Men fully embrace masculinity and the masculine way of doing things. But the masculine way of doing and getting things done can be incredibly tough at times. The world today is filled with hard realities, and it’s men who often brave these difficulties—facing tough situations, tight corners, and towering barriers—to create remarkable achievements.

Men are seen as the dominant beings on planet earth. That may sound controversial, but it aligns with what many consider the natural hierarchical order of creation, which places man at the top. You see, it’s not necessarily by man’s strength or heroism that he holds this position, but by the divine or natural order that made it so. And while history has consistently shown that women are equally empowered to scale daunting heights, face down impossible odds, and achieve greatness, this same hierarchy has placed men above women—not because of talent or intelligence, but simply by design.

Men have egos, and ego fuels the masculine psyche the way petrol fuels a car. But petrol, as we know, is highly flammable and dangerous if not handled properly—and so is the ego. Men who’ve been overpowered by their ego have come to see it as an enemy, but those who have mastered it see the ego not as a barrier to the way, but as the way itself.

Great men, however, are in a league of their own. They differ existentially, experientially, and holistically from every other kind of man. While ordinary men may transcend physical and emotional limits, great men go further—they break ancestral barriers and shatter generational ceilings.

Interestingly, great men don’t make themselves great. If they could, they would have made others great too. A rich man can help another man become rich. A wise man can guide another to wisdom. An enlightened man can serve as a mentor. But a great man? He simply cannot make another great. Greatness seems to be something higher, something bestowed.

Take King David for example. He was the least of his brothers, yet God made him great—like the great men of the earth in his time. His soldiers, valiant warriors and mighty men of valor, said he was worth ten thousand of them. Even the seers and spiritual men of his day described him as an angel who knew all things happening on the face of the earth. His greatness wasn’t hidden; it was visible to the people he led and to other kings of Gentile nations.

David’s understanding of greatness even made it hard for him to kill Saul, a man he also considered great. That reverence for greatness kept his hand tied.

The human race comes in twos—male and female, man and woman. But the great man is a rare embodiment of both masculinity and femininity. Most males are driven solely by masculine energy—testosterone, conquest, ambition. The feminine side—oestrogen, compassion, intuition—plays little or no role in their journey. But the great man is different. He has the heart of the feminine and the mind of the masculine. His physical strength is matched by his emotional depth. His intellect rivals his empathy.

The great man can single-handedly accomplish what even groups of able men would find overwhelming.

Every man is a complex mix of ancestry, generational strengths and weaknesses, and his own uniqueness. Most men struggle to understand and integrate the ancestral part of themselves with their generational traits and personal identity. They find it difficult to pull all the pieces together into a singular force capable of making lasting impact on the world. But this is exactly where the great man excels.

The great man’s ego is his loyal servant. He doesn’t suppress his ancestral and generational weaknesses—he transforms them into strengths. His ancestral strengths are magnified. And with this full arsenal, he performs great works on the surface of the earth.

It was Thomas Carlyle who, observing how the world works, once said: "The history of the world is but the biography of great men." That observation may have stemmed from how historical accounts are often built around standout individuals—leaders who defined their eras. These are the great men. Carlyle’s view also reflected the unique individuality great men often display. His assertion, though debated today, is not far from the truth.

The making of great men, however, hasn’t been captured in any book or manual that one can read, study, and practice. Why? Because the challenges they face are often too great to be replicated or understood by the average mind. 

And so, only God makes great men, perhaps for His own pleasure. And while men may marvel at them and attempt to study their path, only the One who made them truly knows how and why they came to be.