GREATNESS BEFORE US GREATNESS WITHIN US- Jersey Flight

Every now and then there comes along a serious man or woman. It is not so much that these people possess extraordinary powers, but they have a concise view of the world... these men and women are able to cut through the fodder that has weighed down many trained and learned minds... their greatness lies precisely in their ability to transcend and dispose of sophistry. They are immune to the confusion of politics; they are unfazed by authoritarian poets. They are masters of focus, carrying forth a singular vision; their eye does not divert from the glory of their prize. And because of this they learn to speak plain; they communicate in such a way that people everywhere can understand what they say, and they are effective in their communication because they do not practice the art of politics. The power of such men and women is that they are sincere, and this sincerity produces hope in those who hear them. 

I have seen powerful men and women [they are known for speaking plain].  But speaking plain is not enough. A great man or woman must have courage. They must be ready to walk through the fires of rejection and endure the cold indifference of the world. 

People are not ready or willing to take you serious, but you must not be concerned with their apathy, you must go forth and strike the match which is true to the voice of your heart. If you are serious then what does it matter if your seriousness is denied? In the end apathetic men and women don't count. They are forgotten, lost to the clutter of history; they are at the foundation of no movement, their actions serve to stifle progress. In short, their apathy stands against greatness. A great man or woman must overcome many such obstructions.  

When I think of a great man or woman I think of an individual, not that gives us something new (although this can be a criterion), but that shows us how to use the tools we already have. Where emphasis was lacking emphasis finds its place. When I think of greatness I think of clear-sightedness coupled with strength, which has the direct effect of eclipsing stagnation. Great men and women move the earth because they have the ability to stand, on what we might call, neglected common sense... philosophers in their vanity seek profundity, and as such, have missed truth; they are no longer effective in their philosophizing. 

The challenge before us is not merely to see these great men and women as distant relics, or demi-gods of imagination, untouchable and unreachable, but we have the duty and obligation to realize greatness in ourselves. We are these men and women! And as such we must takes responsibility for greatness. We must learn the vital art of clear-sightedness, or else be forever condemned to the theoretical playground of confusion. So much of our speech only serves to detract from productivity and clarity; it is nothing more than speech of confusion which causes disorientation, which produces suffocating stagnation.  

A prophet is one who can extract the vital proposition from the maze of plurality His words cut like a razor against the matrix of confusion.     

Great men and women make us aware of the simplicity we overlook. By trying to be profound we have only made ourselves fools.