The Battle For The Hearts, Minds, And Souls Of Our Young Men

If we want to win the war for our sons, we have to be willing to stand and fight on the real battlefield: The inextricable connection between boy and man.

Because where boys are, men should lead.

In light of the tragic events at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, where nineteen children and two adults were gunned down by a deranged mass murderer, we’re often quick to rush to conclusions without considering whether the solutions being proposed actually address the root cause.

“Do something,” is a phrase we’ve all heard ad nauseam over the past several days. And, yet, “do something,” hardly equates to decisions, actions, or legislation that get to the root of the fury, frustration, and fear of our current circumstances.

Like the hamster spinning on his wheel with great fury and never getting anywhere, we need to be cautious of mistaking the current conversation for action.

When you couple this desire for immediate action with ineffective “do something” solutions—including “common sense gun control”—you’re left with a lot of feel-good buzzwords that have not and will never keep our children safe. 

The simple reality is that many of society’s most outspoken anti-gun advocates are fighting on the wrong battlefield for the hearts, minds, and souls of our young men. And, make no mistake, there is a battle being waged for the young men of this nation.

The real battle for our sons is not over whether they have access to firearms. You could make a similar case for a knife, an explosive, or even the lethal use of a motor vehicle as we’ve seen in recent years. No, the real battle is in how we individually and collectively teach our young men to harness the masculinity that is inherently coursing through their veins.

Without good fathering, our young boys face becoming the literal representation of “The Lord of the Flies.”

Consider some of the statistics surrounding young men raised in fatherless homes:

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (U.S. Dept. Of Health/Census)85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes (Center for Disease Control)70% of youth in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes (U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1988)85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Corrections, 1992)

We’ve been brainwashed into believing the greatest issue we face with regards to our sons is an inanimate object—a firearm—that can only be cured by attempting to remove them from the hands of moral and proficient men.

Until we get to the heart of the matter, there will always be immature young men attempting to make sense of these challenging times. So what’s holding us back? I see it as a lack of righteous and capable men who are in a position to usher our sons into manhood.

And, yet, we ship our sons to government indoctrination camps (public school) for 8-10 hours per day, leaving them to learn from their peers, hoping together they can make sense of their masculinity. When boys don’t “behave,” we shoot enough drugs into them to comply with our own perverted, distorted way of living.

You want to really “do something?” Join the fight for our sons. 

The battlefield is between the walls of your home. It’s on the lake where you’re fishing. It’s on the baseball diamond or basketball court. It’s in the gym.

So, go ahead, do something. Lead. Coach. Father. Mentor. Teach. Guide. Instruct.

And, if you’re not willing to lead in your home, or to coach young men in sports, or serve your community in some meaningful way, then don’t complain saying we must “do something!”

The most important battle is not fought over what tool a disturbed young man may utilize to inflict as much pain as possible. The most important battle is being fought in the souls of young men trying to make sense of the confusing, degenerate society he finds himself in.

Our young men are counting on us. We must not fail them.

Ryan Michler is a husband, father, entrepreneur, Iraqi Combat Veteran, and the Founder of Order of Man, a global movement of men who are reclaiming and restoring masculinity. Ryan grew up without a permanent father figure and has seen first-hand how a lack of strong, ambitious, self-sufficient men has impacted society today. You can find him on instagram @ryanmichler.

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.