Man in the Mirror

“When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,

And the world makes you King for a day,

Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,

And see what the man has to say”

I’ve recently finished reading a book titled “The Happiest Man on Earth” by Eddie Jaku where he tells his story of Holocaust survival and shared how he found gratitude, kindness and hope in the darkest of places. Eddie was a man who unfortunately faced what the majority of us could only imagine during the war. As a proud Jewish man, Eddie endured the worst of humanity, was tortured, faced death on multiple occasions and his will to live was put to the test. From reading his story, I was reminded of a poem I read in High School titled “Man in the Mirror” by Dale Wimbrow.

For it isn’t your Father, or Mother, or Wife,

Who judgement upon you must pass.

The feller whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the guy staring back from the glass.

The poem discusses the importance of self-reflection. It tells the story of a man who finds success in a dishonourable way and questions oneself if they make the man, staring back at them in the mirror, proud. That the judgement of others should not matter but it is yourself who you should always aim to make proud. I believe the reason Eddie’s book struck a memory for me of this poem is due to the decisions he made when facing adversity. He had escaped concentration camps and deemed himself at more times than one a free man but understood that he would forever live with regret if he were to leave people behind and not do what he could to ensure their safety.

He’s the feller to please, never mind all the rest,

For he’s with you clear up to the end,

And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test

If the guy in the glass is your friend.

So after reading Eddie’s book and going over the Man in the Mirror multiple times, I sat to ponder what the man in my mirror thought of me. Would I be able to smile back at him with happiness of a job well done? Would I be confident that I had made him proud? Or would I question my decisions and lower my head in disappointment? When you take enough time to reflect on your life it gives you the opportunity to gain a new perspective, to understand what were and what now are your priorities. From this, you gain an understanding for if you were making the man staring back at you proud or if you were living your life for the acknowledgment and gratification of others.

You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum,

And think you’re a wonderful guy,

But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum

If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

I’ve learnt that you’ll always reflect on your mistakes before celebrating your successes, it’s a natural action us humans possess, to constantly seek where we went wrong instead of right. I’m no man if I cannot acknowledge the mistakes I have made during my life to date. The decisions I have made, good or bad, have and will stick with me, which I see as a positive. For knowing these decisions and their affect on my life allows me to understand how I wish to move forward, how I wish to build my character and prioritise my movements in life. I regret my priorities in recent times, placing importance on things that should not dictate the happiness of my life. Eddie said it perfectly in his book when he touched on happiness;

“Happiness does not fall from the sky; it is in your hands. Happiness comes form inside yourself and from the people you love. And if you are healthy and happy, you are a millionaire.”

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,

And get pats on the back as you pass,

But your final reward will be heartaches and tears

If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass.

So, entering a new year we create new beginnings, resolutions and a vision of success. With that I do not refer to a job promotion or a new low score around the golf course. I do not refer to completing a long distance race but I do refer to improving ourselves in the biggest race of all, life. I want to become a man that I stare back at in 25 years, with pride, and smile with the knowledge that I am considered no bum.

“We must never forget this. Your efforts today will affect people you will never know. It is your choice whether that effect is positive or negative. You can choose every day, every minute, to act in a way that may uplift a stranger or else drag them down. The choice is easy. And it is yours to make” – Eddie Jaku