According to WIKIPEDIA, a crucible is a cup-shaped heat resistant container which is used in heating metals to a very high temperature of 500 to 1600 degree celcius or more. It can be made from platinium,nickel, zirconium or made from graphite with clay as a binder.A crucible is placed into a furnace and, after the melting, the liquid metal is taken out of the furnace and poured into a mold to solidify.During the whole process,the metal is refined to a purer state.
The metal gold,when it passes through this process becomes more valuable than it was in it's former state.The whole process of refining is basically to give or add more value.
In life, leaders were transformed in their very personal crucibles.An example of such leaders is the great Nelson Mandela of South Africa.Though locked up, isolated and humiliated as a prisoner on Robson Island, he never gave up his dreams of freedom rather the hardship metted on him only acted as a catalyst to an inner transformation within him that spurred him on to greater achievements.
I remember sitting with my father one calm evening some years ago.He was telling me about his past and how he used to be the last student in his class to pay his school fees and how he used to wash toilets to make extra bucks. His hardship demanded of him to think of alternative ways of making good money.He saved all he had to pay his way through a technical school and finally,he landed the job that made him who he is today. Washing toilets he says, is his crucible.This inglorious act that was turned down by others perpetuated him into reforming his life.To a lesser man it would spell defeat but to a stronger man, an avenue to propagate changes.This is what seperates leaders from ordinary men.
In life, leaders were transformed in their very personal crucibles.An example of such leaders is the great Nelson Mandela of South Africa.Though locked up, isolated and humiliated as a prisoner on Robson Island, he never gave up his dreams of freedom rather the hardship metted on him only acted as a catalyst to an inner transformation within him that spurred him on to greater achievements.
I remember sitting with my father one calm evening some years ago.He was telling me about his past and how he used to be the last student in his class to pay his school fees and how he used to wash toilets to make extra bucks. His hardship demanded of him to think of alternative ways of making good money.He saved all he had to pay his way through a technical school and finally,he landed the job that made him who he is today. Washing toilets he says, is his crucible.This inglorious act that was turned down by others perpetuated him into reforming his life.To a lesser man it would spell defeat but to a stronger man, an avenue to propagate changes.This is what seperates leaders from ordinary men.
Our everday challenges should not make us cower in defeat.I prefer to call them challenges and not problems because, as challenges,it makes us want to tackle them without fear and see them as something possible to resolve but as problems,there is always a lingering fear of failure attached to it.To all my brothers and sisters out there, consider hard times as the crucible periods, it will only refine us to be better men.
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Special thanks to WIKIPEDIA for the use of definitions and pictures from their gallery.
1 comment:
Intelligent work.
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