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A SUCCESS PRIMER FOR YOUNG BLACK MEN--CONCLUSION

      You may wonder why I’ve spent much of this year writing about this topic to my younger Black brothers coming along, and the next generation behind them.  Simply put, it ties in with the reason why I started writing a syndicated column in the first place. Back in the 90s, I saw little effort, but a LOT of talk in providing upright materials to encourage Black men, while the market was (and still is) flooded with material to encourage Black women to do—and be—anything that they wanted to be, EXCEPT wives and mothers.

      Oh yes—lest I forget—those same people who overlook encouraging Black men are the SAME ones who dare to complain: “There are no good men out there in society.”

      Seems like little has changed.

      There ARE two choices in life when you run into a problem.  You can either complain about it and do nothing; or you can pray, roll up your sleeves, and choose to do something to solve the problem with the skills, talents and abilities that Jesus has provided you.  In my case, one of my talents is writing.  Thus, this series of columns was born.

      My young brother, I believe that you can BE the success that God wants you to be!

      A society without a sizeable number of women without the skills to be wives, homemakers and mothers—if I were to use an illustration of a patient rushed to a hospital after a car crash—that society would be in serious condition.  A society without a sizeable number of men without the skills to husbands, providers and fathers—to use the same hospital illustration—the society would be Dead on Arrival.  Thus, for a society to survive, men MUST be encouraged AND taught the skills to be upright, successful men, instead of becoming statistics and shoved into grant programs meant to entertain—instead of train—men.  Further, we must start with those future men while they are YOUNG men.  Since I am an older Black man, I set this ‘training course’ up—once again—for younger Black men.

      Let’s review what we have accomplished and discussed in columns one through eleven.  If the topic isn’t clear, go back and search out each month this 12-part series was published:

      January: The need for training of young men BY older men.

      February: How to handle defeat or failure.

      March: Crime does not pay nor help.

      April: Keeping yourself sexually pure.

      May: Flee youthful lust and sexual temptation.

      June: The need for good religion from Jesus Christ.

      July: The media—including social media—is no friend of a young Black man.

      August: How to protect your mental health as a young Black man.

      September: Why and how education is important to a young Black man.

      October: Politics, the parties, and the true power of your vote.

      November: The MAN or MALE test.

      To wrap up this column—and the series—I wanted to include some words of success.  These words are powerful, necessary, and will serve to become valuable to you throughout your life:

      *Forgiveness: This one is self-explanatory. You will be wronged on occasion.  Sometimes on purpose.  Other times on purpose.  Keep short mental accounts.  Learn how to forgive others and learn how to forgive yourself.

      *Prayer: Only works when you are connected to God via Jesus Christ.  When you are NOT connected to God, the only prayer that will connect you to God is the one that marks your repentance and asks Jesus into your life (Romans 10:9 KJV).

      *Competition: Be ready to compete. Be prepared to compete. Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. Competition is a great way to stretch your soul and show that you are a card-carrying member of humanity. Don’t be fooled into thinking that competition is a ‘bad’ thing. Those who usually say that competition is bad are anxious to ‘con’ you out of something—or someone.

      *Humility: Keep yourself humble. Why? Because on our best days we are blessed, and on our worst days we are just a little out of sync. It rains on the just and the unjust. As the old folks used to say: “NEVER get too big for your britches.”

      *Courage: It takes more courage to do right, than to do wrong. It also takes more courage to stand for right than to ‘go along to get along’ with wrong. If you are the ONLY person in the room who will stand for truth and God, you are a majority. The young man of today needs to have courage to stand against the many errors in our current society—even the ones that have the sanctions of society.

      *Persecution: IF you happen to be a Christian, you will face more people picking on you because of your support for Jesus Christ; more people than will pick on you for taking any other stand (II Timothy 3:12 KJV). The persecution can come in the form of name calling and mocking on up the line to even worse things. Always be ready. You don’t have to look for it.

      *Perseverance: This simply means your ability to stick with a task, be it a relationship, a course, a job, or any other venture where you have given your word that you will finish.  Remember: a diamond is a lump of coal that survived the pressure to shine on.

      *Humor: It never hurts to remember that you can laugh at yourself as well or better than you can laugh at others. Have a desire for clean jokes and stories. Anyone can tell a dirty joke. It takes class to keep your humor clean. Besides, the ladies love someone of a genuine and clean humor.

      *Friendship: Be careful in whom you place the mantle of friendship. Be careful because NOT everyone deserves to be your friend. Friendship is deeper than being a ‘casual acquaintance’. A true friendship will last for years, regardless of the tides and winds of society. On the other side of this, the BEST love relationships begin as friendships. A couple that starts out as friends will have each other’s backs when the times get rough.

      *Positive mental theme music: Be the hero of your own story. Keep some upright tunes in your mind—especially some upright gospel tunes.

      This series will be one of those ‘down the road’ items that I trust you will turn to when the days get cold, the friends are few and your world seems to be upside down.  Nevertheless, the aim of this series is just to pass on a few nuggets of wisdom to the next generation.  I trust that when you brothers get along in life, you won’t forget those young men who have come up behind you nor those old men who have gone on in front of you.

      God bless—and keep on the track that Jesus has for you.

      Mike Ramey is a Retired Minister, KJV Bible Teacher, syndicated columnist and Bible Prophecy Specialist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.  “The Quick Scan: A Success Primer For Young Black Men” is one of a variety of his columns appearing and abounding in print and cyberspace, written from a biblical, business, and common-sense perspective since 1996.  To drop him a line—or a whine—the address is still the same: mgmikeramey@yahoo.com.  ©2024 Barnstorm Communications International. With this 12-part series on the major issues of manhood, we are celebrating 2024 as “The Year of the Young Black Man.”