Being a man for others is more than you may think it actually is.

Being a man for others is more

than putting yourself before others. As Pedro Arrupe tells us, “It will be difficult, but we can do it.” He

says this because serving others is never easy and we may not want to do it. With our persistence,

however, we are compelled to help others. This can come in many forms, service, selflessness,

indifference, and respect. These terms are some that we hear constantly when in the service of others but

do we actually know what each means. That is the question we must ask ourselves. Do we know how to

live these terms, or do we just act like we do and put on a facade for others to seem like we do? Being a

man for others is knowing, understanding, and acting on these morals. Indifference is probably the most

difficult to fully understand out of the words. Arrupe defines it as “in the sense of lack of differentiation.”

He is saying that this indifference helps us to serve others without hesitation. If we are tied down by

personal bias or other restrictions, we cannot be true men for others. Being a man for others is also putting

the problems of society and justice before your own. These problems come with discrimination, prejudice,

racism, and other biases. Before we can truly serve others, we must think about if the action will boost us

in any way. Are we doing this good deed for recognition, to feel better, or simply to help others out?

Being a man for others is doing a good deed simply out of the want to help others and to earn no personal

gain. We should not be using these deeds to boost our reputation with others or to earn popularity. This is

like the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector that Jesus told to his followers. The tac collector,

filled with sin and greed, quietly prayed in the synagogue while the Pharisee prayed aloud in the middle

of a crowd for attention. Jesus tells us that this need for attention is the limiting factor of us becoming a

man or woman for others. Father Arrupe says “the institutions we have created for ourselves...they are the

consequences of our sins throughout history” To be a true man for others is to put others before yourself

and to truly understand and want to help those who need it. I believe that I possess these qualities at

certain times in my life, however, there are times that I believe that I could be better at personifying these

traits. If we do these things, we can confidently call ourselves men and women for others.