A dictionary is "a reference book that contains words listed in alphabetical order and gives explanations of their meanings, often with additional information about grammar, pronunciation, and etymology". What a book! What wonderful writers!! One of the programs of the Microsoft Works Task Launcher is a dictionary. In my opinion, it's the most extensive dictionary the world over. I am yet to find a word that's not in it. This dictionary defines the noun, man, as:
1. adult male human: an adult male human being;
2. person: a person, regardless of sex or age (often considered offensive);3. particular type of man: an adult male human being with a particular occupation, responsibility, background, or nationality (usually used in combination);
4. human race: the human race in general (often considered offensive);
5. ZOOLOGY modern or earlier human being: a member of the group that comprises modern humans and their ancestors. Genus: Homo (sometimes considered offensive);
6. employee or worker: an employee or worker of either sex (often considered offensive);
7. MILITARY male member of armed forces: a male member of the armed forces, especially one who is not an officer (usually used in the plural);
8. servant: a man who is a servant (dated);
9. virile person: the personification of qualities traditionally associated with the male sex, including courage, strength, and aggression, or somebody with such qualities;
10. husband or man companion: a husband, or a man who is a woman’s companion or lover (slang);
11. term of address: a term of address to a person of either sex (slang) (sometimes considered offensive);
12. or man or ManUS authority figure: somebody in a position of authority, or a group that is seen as having an unfair advantage or undue power over others (slang) (sometimes considered offensive);
13. GAME piece used in board games: a piece used in playing board games such as draughts;
14. HISTORY medieval vassal: in feudal societies of the early Middle Ages, an adult male human who swore allegiance to a lord in return for help and protection; and
15. NAUTICAL ship: a ship, especially one of a particular kind (used in combination) man-of-war.
At school early this week, on Tuesday to be precise, the 4th Annual Lecture (organised by the University of Lagos School of Postgraduate Studies) held. The title was Preparing the Next Generation Leaders: The Roleof the Ivory Tower. The guest lecturer was Mr. Felix Ohiwerei, OFR, Chairman, Virgin Nigeria Limited (as well as of some important corporations in Nigeria). Born in 1937, he hails from Owan in Edo State. He schooled in Owerri and later Ibadan and from the latter's prestigious university he received an honorary doctorate degree. From the early sixties till his retirement last year, he held managerial positions in different national and international organisations. A fellow of the Institute of Directors, among others, Mr. Ohiwerei is a God-fearing, happily-married father of four. Everything he said (or read from the paper he prepared) that day was inspiring but two things made the greatest impression on me. And I'm going to share them.
The first was the true fact that leadership can not be successful unless it's founded on the Almighty God, the one and only source of true, complete and lasting success.
The second was a card he'd seen in a shop in Singapore. Or rather, the words in the card. Here are its golden words:
The World Needs Men
- who cannot be bought
- whose word is their bond
- who put character before wealth
- who possess opinion and a will
- who are larger than their vocations
- who do not hesitate to take chances
- who will not lose their individuality in a crowd
- who will be as honest in small things as in great things
- who will make no compromise with wrong
- who will not say they do it because everybody else does it
- who are true to their friends in adversity as well as in prosperity
- who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning and hard-headedness are the best qualities for winning success
- who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for truth when it is unpopular
- who can say NO with emphasis although the rest of the world says YES
- whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires
May God make us men, in Jesus' matchless name.
Amen.
