Day 43 (Forty-three) of 365 days
What makes a nation great? This is the core question we are faced with every presidential election. The party out of power claims that we are not great, and only they know how to make us great. The party in power claims that we are mostly great, and only they know how to make us even greater. After enough of these cycles, we may begin to believe that neither party has a full and rich understanding of greatness, much less a clear path to achieve greatness.
The greatest misunderstanding we Nigerians make about greatness is its object. True greatness is not a measure of accomplishment, but a virtue.
People may achieve many things, but in the absence of justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope and love, those achievements are hollow.
It is a virtue that enables achievement, giving people the inner communal strength to persevere through tremendous difficulty and opposition. But where virtue is forsaken, the end is near.
Seeking with confidence to do great things, literally "having a large soul". Otherwise referred to as the virtue of magnanimity, greatness is about pursuing what is great and honourable no matter how difficult. It means stepping out of our comfort zones and doing what will benefit ourselves and others the most.
The great-souled man's concern with honours is qualified, however, in some decisive respects. He is unduly preoccupied with, nor, overly pleased by the reception of others. Quite contrary, he takes moderate pleasure in honours and even then only when they come from "serious human beings" since he recognizes that " there could be no honour worthy of complete virtue". The greatness of soul seems to be like a kind of cosmos of the virtues. The virtue of magnanimity seems to adorn the other virtues, it appears at the peak of moral virtue, a rare but recognizable form of excellence that a great-souled man wears on his head like a crown.
Magnanimity is a key virtue if we want to become leaders and if we desire to do great and honourable deeds for the people we serve; even in the face of difficulty, and at the cost of great personal sacrifice. It is an essential virtue for parents and those who work with young people, for teachers, mentors, and pastoral workers who aspire to excellence in training and helping others grow in maturity and strong character.
To be magnanimous, we must possess a "great heart", a "Noble mind" and a "generous spirit". Achievers are those who have remained courageous, any person desiring greatness should work courageously. Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can!
