Man + Maturity: Of Moral Candor

It was a hot summer’s night in Georgia... no wait, wrong story. Ok, three men walk into a bar and one orders a Tom Colins... alright - seriously, I’m done now.

When I realized that my dad didn’t have all the answers, it was strange - he wasn’t Superman anymore, he was something else, a human.

He, during my mid to late teenage years would charge me “If you meet some one that has a quality you admire and want, get to know them. Hang around them, figure out how they think and how they got where they are”.

I never took his words lightly, and frankly... I’ve gained some valuable knowledge about life from people more learned than myself.

There’s a gritty part to all of that. I’ve only recently had the presence of mind to look at from my Dad’s point of view. And now that my kids are getting older, the 401k and investments, and the hard to manage, yet endearing, gray tree trunks slowly invading all available real estate in my beard - I realize that I won’t appear as Superman much longer in the eyes of my children, and that’s ok. The courage it takes to overcome pride and point those in your care to their greatest potential - even if that entails the leadership of another, is one of high constitution.

“Manhood is the defeat of childhood narcissism”

- David Gilmore