1 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,839 We're back with another edition of The Federalist Radio Hour. I'm Jordan Boyd, 2 00:00:20,879 --> 00:00:23,719 a staff writer here at the Federalist. As always, you can email the 3 00:00:23,719 --> 00:00:27,839 show at radio at the Federalist dot com, follow us on Twitter at fdr 4 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:32,799 LST, and make sure to subscribe wherever you download your podcasts. Today I'm 5 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,840 joined by John Lovell. He's the founder and CEO of the Warrior Poets Society. 6 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:41,359 John is a former war veteran and Special Operations soldier. After his military 7 00:00:41,399 --> 00:00:44,799 service, he served as a Christian missionary in Central America. Full time. 8 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,479 Today he is a video content creator, public speaker, firearms trainer, and 9 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,840 home setter. John lives on a small farm in Georgia with his wife and 10 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,159 two sons. John, Welcome to the program, Jordan, thanks so much 11 00:00:56,159 --> 00:00:58,880 for having me on. Good to be here. Well, you have a 12 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:00,880 new book out and the title is The Warrior Poet Way, A Guide to 13 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:06,319 Living Free and Dying Well. Block us through this Warrior Poet mindset. What 14 00:01:06,519 --> 00:01:07,560 is it and what made you want to share with the rest of us? 15 00:01:08,159 --> 00:01:11,719 Sure, I think it's desperately needed and it is an antidote. It is 16 00:01:11,719 --> 00:01:17,680 a roadmap for many of those who have really lost the call in the direction 17 00:01:17,799 --> 00:01:23,519 of masculinity in today's confused world. The big thrust of a warrior poet is 18 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,680 somebody who lives for higher purpose and is ready to sacrifice in the defense of 19 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:34,120 others. So they're lovers of truth and lovers of people and their defenders of 20 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,840 both. And so that's really the idea. It's a pretty broad umbrella that 21 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:44,680 encompasses all kinds of different creeds and philosophies and even theologies, though mine will 22 00:01:44,719 --> 00:01:49,319 be more specific as I'll delve into in the book. I noticed when I 23 00:01:49,319 --> 00:01:51,799 was looking through. I don't want to give too much of the book away, 24 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,280 but can you give us a brief overview of these ten guiding principles that 25 00:01:55,359 --> 00:01:57,079 you say make a real man and sort of explain how you ended up on 26 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:07,000 ten in particular, tend's a nice even number. To really get into it. 27 00:02:07,079 --> 00:02:09,719 I go in depth into what it means to be a warrior and how 28 00:02:09,719 --> 00:02:15,280 to grow in that lifestyle, and also what it really means to be a 29 00:02:15,319 --> 00:02:19,039 poet and why we should all be going in that way. I think people 30 00:02:19,199 --> 00:02:23,560 tend to gravitate naturally toward one or the other. Some people are lovers, 31 00:02:23,599 --> 00:02:28,919 but not fighters, as they'll say quickly. Other people are warriors and not 32 00:02:29,039 --> 00:02:34,960 so much lovers. And so it is absolutely critical, crucial that folks should 33 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,599 be growing in one is the area that they are predisposed to, but also 34 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:44,439 the other one that is more unnatural. You're going to make an absolute wreck 35 00:02:44,479 --> 00:02:49,479 of your life if you're not both a lover and a fighter, if you're 36 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,599 not a lion and a lamb, you need to be a warrior and a 37 00:02:53,759 --> 00:02:57,840 poet. As a poet, you know someone who's a deep lover of people 38 00:02:57,879 --> 00:03:01,759 and finds beautiful ways to tell the truth. If you really love people, 39 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:07,879 then you are willing to protect them, and so it naturally gravitates into a 40 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:13,360 warrior. And the warrior isn't just a merciless thug out there stacking bodies and 41 00:03:13,439 --> 00:03:17,520 doing warrior type things. They love the people that they're protecting. They're standing 42 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:23,280 for something more important than themselves, and they're ready to sacrifice themselves in the 43 00:03:23,319 --> 00:03:27,639 defense of others. Then so when you find somebody who is a great lover 44 00:03:27,759 --> 00:03:30,960 of other people, oh, perfect love casts out all fear, they're able 45 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:38,719 to be energized and focus to be even better warriors. And so my contention 46 00:03:38,039 --> 00:03:44,039 is that the warriors out there wouldn't in their zeal to meet the enemy on 47 00:03:44,039 --> 00:03:47,840 a battlefield, whether that's an actual battlefield or more metaphorically, everywhere you go 48 00:03:49,039 --> 00:03:54,280 in life, from the public squared academi to your vocation and even to deserts 49 00:03:54,360 --> 00:04:00,639 abroad, it requires you to be able to be strong and hold the line 50 00:04:00,719 --> 00:04:05,439 and to have that warrior tenacity, fearlessness and grit. And so I want 51 00:04:05,479 --> 00:04:10,479 people to be able to be good warriors but not lose the things that they 52 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:16,439 love the most. The warrior is not naturally good at holding together dear relationships 53 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:23,720 or dating their wife and being emotionally vulnerable to their kids and pursuing the high, 54 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:31,000 vulnerable and introspective and humble parts of life that require you to really be 55 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:36,399 a good follower of God and to pour yourself out for causes greater than yourself. 56 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:42,040 And so I find that it is absolutely essential that we avoid the pendulum 57 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:50,439 swings to be kind of that stereotypical poet without being well balanced by warrior and 58 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:56,720 vice versa. That's so interesting, And you know, I really love what 59 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:01,120 you said about sacrifice. You obviously have you're acquainted with that idea because you 60 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:06,319 served in the Second Ranger Battalion. How do you think society has eroded or 61 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:12,360 neutered the idea of sacrifice? What effect does that have on culture, particularly 62 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,639 when it comes to men. It's an easy point to prove. All I 63 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,800 have to do is, like guys, open up Twitter and scroll for about 64 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:28,279 thirty seconds, and you're going to see the most defeat beta boys unimaginable to 65 00:05:28,439 --> 00:05:33,519 our forbears in the past. And so it is easy to look anywhere and 66 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:41,240 see a great decline in masculinity. Certain traits of a man are certainly celebrated 67 00:05:41,439 --> 00:05:45,720 in mainstream culture, and those are, hey, be funny and be nice, 68 00:05:45,879 --> 00:05:51,120 and be introspective, be emotional, get in touch with your feminine side. 69 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:55,519 And we've done it so well. Our feminine side has become our dominant 70 00:05:55,560 --> 00:06:00,720 side, and masculinity lays in ashes in our rear view mirror. And so 71 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:08,720 it's important that we trudge ancient paths back when men had grit and daring and 72 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:15,160 boldness in a sense of leadership and adventure. Those are absolutely critical, as 73 00:06:15,319 --> 00:06:20,160 it is strong men that will help build societies and protect them. In the 74 00:06:20,199 --> 00:06:26,079 firearms space, and I teach people gunfighting and online classes and also in physical 75 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:30,399 classes and the big idea there's the only bad way to stop or the only 76 00:06:30,399 --> 00:06:31,600 way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a 77 00:06:31,639 --> 00:06:36,079 gun. It's not gun free zone signs that do anything. Otherwise, we 78 00:06:36,079 --> 00:06:41,800 would protect our politicians with gun free zone signs instead. All of our politicians, 79 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:46,399 even when they're against firearms, they're all protected by dangerous men carrying guns. 80 00:06:48,079 --> 00:06:53,240 Absolutely. My husband and I actually own a gun store, and this 81 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,560 idea of the protector comes up a lot when people come in the store and 82 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,519 want to buy something. It's a lot of times men who want to protect 83 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:02,519 their feel or protect their wives, or even equip their families and wives to 84 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:08,079 protect themselves. And I think a lot of times people throw around this term 85 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:12,800 toxic masculinity far too often, and a lot of times it's aimed at men 86 00:07:12,879 --> 00:07:16,160 like you or my husband, who have a distinct desire to protect and love 87 00:07:16,199 --> 00:07:21,240 and provide. Do you think true toxic masculinity exists, and if so, 88 00:07:21,279 --> 00:07:27,160 what does it actually look like. I think it's really a silly term to 89 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:33,000 distinguish masculinity as something toxic without the same moment recognizing well, femininity can be 90 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:40,639 really toxic. It's just whenever you leave the good moral bounds of femininity or 91 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:45,319 masculinity, that something can be toxic. However, we shouldn't relegate it into 92 00:07:45,519 --> 00:07:48,360 the different you know, the two different genders. Instead, you could just 93 00:07:48,399 --> 00:07:55,000 say toxic people and clear it up very well. But to try to taint 94 00:07:55,000 --> 00:08:00,800 the idea of masculinity by saddling it beside the word toxic is really, I 95 00:08:00,839 --> 00:08:07,240 think, a socio political play to undermine the strengths of masculinity wholesale. And 96 00:08:07,279 --> 00:08:11,519 so I'm not really buying it and going for it. I get that accusation 97 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,240 a good bit, and they're all buy people who don't know me. It's 98 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:20,639 like, my family would never ever dream of castigating me that way. Is 99 00:08:20,959 --> 00:08:22,360 My kids don't fear me. They love me. My wife too, I'm 100 00:08:22,399 --> 00:08:28,560 pouring my life out for her and exalting her, and she flourishes under my 101 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:33,440 sacrificial leadership. And so I think it's a big misnomer. And the whole 102 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:41,000 idea is to build a caricature of real masculinity so that you can disparage and 103 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:48,720 marginalize men that are truly strong and dangerous. Obviously I'm not a man, 104 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:54,240 but I think so many women out there do value and cherish that strong man 105 00:08:54,600 --> 00:09:00,840 persona. What role do you think women play in the man quest to live 106 00:09:00,919 --> 00:09:03,559 up to his potential? And how has your wife maybe helped you on your 107 00:09:03,639 --> 00:09:09,360 warrior poet journey. She's been quintessential to it. In my book, I 108 00:09:09,399 --> 00:09:13,000 go into all kinds of aspects of warrior, also going to all aspects of 109 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:16,679 poet as well. And so I'm talking about raising little poets and I want 110 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:20,120 to make them strong, but I also want to make them strong in all 111 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,559 the right ways. It's not just physicality and your ability to have grid and 112 00:09:24,639 --> 00:09:28,279 overcome fear as something I talk about a lot in the book, but it's 113 00:09:28,279 --> 00:09:33,720 be able to foster healthy relationships and strengthen our minds through good education and deep 114 00:09:33,799 --> 00:09:39,080 seated philosophy and theology of life. And so that's what I really want to 115 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:43,919 do. My wife is strong in ways that I am not, and she's 116 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:50,559 built different differently than me. I've been given strength to help bear up my 117 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:56,840 own burdens and also to have strength to bear up the burdens of others. 118 00:09:56,879 --> 00:10:01,399 I'm supposed to be protector and provider and also help my family flourish as I 119 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:05,759 pour myself out for them. Protecting them, loving them, serving them constantly, 120 00:10:05,759 --> 00:10:09,919 and I'm also leading them. That is my primary role. My wife 121 00:10:09,919 --> 00:10:15,480 has been given front natural attributes as of a woman to be able to capture 122 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,039 my heart. If I'm the head, then she's the neck that's turning man 123 00:10:18,159 --> 00:10:24,679 man alive. My wife has an entirely different strength with that of her lashes 124 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:28,720 and a smile on her lips. I'm ready to move mountains for that girl 125 00:10:28,759 --> 00:10:35,440 who is the constant source of encouragement and unconditional love and affection. She's the 126 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:41,039 one that nurtures my young sons as well. So I make them tough, 127 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:46,480 and she keeps them alive, you know. And so she's also the primary 128 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:50,399 educator right now until they get into their teenage years, and that flips over 129 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,879 to me. But she really makes our home and she loves that role. 130 00:10:54,919 --> 00:11:01,039 And she wasn't really trained up that way. She was really on more of 131 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:07,440 the feministic track. And now she'll describe herself as a recovering feminist and far 132 00:11:07,519 --> 00:11:11,200 more chauvinistic, and that she just bought so many lies of the feministic movement 133 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:18,440 that would have her think that a nine to five career is the greatest calling 134 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:22,679 a woman can have rather than loving, adoring, and flourishing her own family. 135 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:26,559 And I certainly wouldn't disparage any woman that wanted to go out and earn 136 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:28,360 and hustle and career it up. And so I'm like, hey, more 137 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,360 power to you, rock on, gal, do whatever you think best. 138 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:39,200 But I would say there's no higher calling than to love, adore, and 139 00:11:39,279 --> 00:11:43,480 raise a family. We talk about that a lot over here at the fudder. 140 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:48,240 Let's just the different lies that are sold about the different sexes. You 141 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:50,519 know, men aren't allowed to stand up for their families. Women shouldn't be 142 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:56,320 staying home and pouring into their families. And it's something that has I think 143 00:11:56,360 --> 00:12:00,879 come to the forefront, specifically in recent years as the culture war is heightened 144 00:12:00,879 --> 00:12:05,960 and we have these ridiculous arguments over sex and gender and what is a man 145 00:12:05,039 --> 00:12:09,559 and what is a woman? And I think there's been a really strong push 146 00:12:09,639 --> 00:12:16,080 towards the feminization of men, and not just in societal roles necessarily, but 147 00:12:16,159 --> 00:12:20,799 also in body. I mean, America is the least fit it's ever been. 148 00:12:20,159 --> 00:12:26,279 Male testosterone levels are measuring dangerously low. And you mentioned in your book 149 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:30,879 that men who don't find a challenge worth of strength will turn to over indulgence 150 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:35,240 of their mind, their body, and their soul through various activities. You 151 00:12:35,279 --> 00:12:41,399 know, the gem NFL whatever. But what kind of transformation do you think 152 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:45,639 someone must go through to sort of refine that mind, body and soul connection 153 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,759 and get back on the right track of what their true potential really is. 154 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:56,840 I think progressivism has progressed too far in the wrong direction, and men and 155 00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:05,960 women would do very well to unearthed and retread the ancient paths. It's now 156 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,519 there's a war with all things of the past, all wisdom of the past, 157 00:13:09,519 --> 00:13:13,399 as we think we know better, all of a sudden after untold amounts 158 00:13:13,399 --> 00:13:20,399 of thousands of years of family structures working quite well, not without a problem, 159 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:24,360 of course, which the progressives would rightfully point out. But it's not 160 00:13:24,399 --> 00:13:28,919 to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. And that's 161 00:13:28,919 --> 00:13:33,639 exactly what is happening. Men are built differently than women. They just are. 162 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:39,000 They're not any better, They're just strong in different ways than women, 163 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:43,120 and vice versa, and we should glory in that, not try to make 164 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:50,080 one into the other. Such absolute fiction can only be entertained so long without 165 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:54,919 the complete total degradation of our society. And I don't really know anybody on 166 00:13:54,960 --> 00:14:00,519 the left or the right that doesn't agree that society is breaking down in some 167 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:05,120 really bad ways and definitely needs fixing. And so I think we need to 168 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:09,519 tread some of the ancient wisdom of the past. I think men need to 169 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:16,600 refuse to be declaud defanged and newtered. We need to find causes worth fighting 170 00:14:16,639 --> 00:14:22,120 for and living for. We need to glory and strength and boldness and leadership 171 00:14:22,159 --> 00:14:31,360 and be unapologetic for those things. The Washedout on Wall Street podcast with Chris 172 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:35,720 Markowski. Every day Chris helps unpack the connection between politics and the economy and 173 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:39,840 how it affects your wallet. Is Biden's economic plan Truly, working wages are 174 00:14:39,879 --> 00:14:46,320 going backwards as new regulations are costing ten thousand dollars per American. With inflation 175 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,080 at a higher rate, your spending power goes down. Make sure you know 176 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,159 what numbers to pay attention to. Whether it's happening in DC or down on 177 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:56,320 Wall Street, it's affecting you financially. Be informed. Check out the Watchdout 178 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:58,720 on Wall Street podcast with Chris Markowski on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you 179 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:07,799 get your podcast. What would you say are the top priorities for a warrior 180 00:15:07,879 --> 00:15:11,600 poet. I mean, you've talked a lot about family and leadership inside the 181 00:15:11,639 --> 00:15:16,360 home, But what does that look like when you've sort of settled what your 182 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:20,240 role is inside the family, how do you take that beyond the walls of 183 00:15:20,279 --> 00:15:24,799 your house. Sure, I think everywhere I look, I see a fight 184 00:15:24,879 --> 00:15:26,480 now, and I don't want to fight. I really just like you know, 185 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:30,720 tyrants to back up off of me and let me and my family enjoy 186 00:15:30,759 --> 00:15:35,240 our homestead, our animals, and go to work. But instead I'm forced 187 00:15:35,279 --> 00:15:41,919 into a world where everyone's offended about everything. We have one side wanting to 188 00:15:41,039 --> 00:15:46,480 completely eliminate and censor the ability for other people to say just what has been 189 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:52,799 espoused as universal truth for as long as history books have been recorded. We 190 00:15:52,879 --> 00:15:56,120 want to overthrow all that. And so one thing we can do outside of 191 00:15:56,159 --> 00:16:03,159 our house is to refuse to be self censored. Now, don't don't back 192 00:16:03,279 --> 00:16:11,639 down and allow people to fit you with the muzzle of political correctness so that 193 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:15,679 you don't speak out for the things you know are true and the things you 194 00:16:15,759 --> 00:16:19,559 hold dear. It is time, I believe, to not be just sitting 195 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,399 back, living and letting live. But in the war of ideas to go 196 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:26,919 on the offense and say, hey, this stuff going on is not okay. 197 00:16:27,399 --> 00:16:33,720 Drag shows for little kids and minor attracted persons and abortion, these are 198 00:16:33,759 --> 00:16:38,159 all insidious evils, and I believe that they should be taken to task. 199 00:16:41,159 --> 00:16:44,919 You know, one of the signs of a society that's going downhill, like 200 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,440 you mentioned, and like a lot of Americans feel, is that everything is 201 00:16:48,519 --> 00:16:52,799 politicized, and that includes this idea of masculinity. Right. Why do you 202 00:16:52,919 --> 00:16:56,919 think that is and what would have to happen for there to be a pivot. 203 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,240 I see a lot of people on the right bracing this idea of being 204 00:17:00,279 --> 00:17:04,000 a man and pushing forward for strength in the home and outside of the home. 205 00:17:04,039 --> 00:17:07,200 But you don't see as much as a push on the left for that. 206 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:11,200 So what would have to change for it to not become a politicized issue? 207 00:17:12,279 --> 00:17:17,759 I think the left is obsessed with power. They claim to not be, 208 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:22,599 but everything I see is obsession with power. Is all of our institutions, 209 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:27,799 from Hollywood to the legacy media to academia, all of it is ruled 210 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:33,880 by the left. I don't think they represent the main percentage of the population, 211 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:38,000 but they certainly dominate our institutions of power, and so I think that 212 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:44,200 we definitely need to have a rising up in those areas of life and to 213 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:49,319 be able to redeem in our own spheres strength of purpose and resolve in all 214 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:56,720 kinds of areas of intellectually and socially spiritually, to allow our character to have 215 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:02,039 fresh fire. So we'd be able to speak to that also physical strength too. 216 00:18:02,839 --> 00:18:07,839 But I think part of the play of those ruling elites are would be 217 00:18:07,039 --> 00:18:15,559 leaders, is to really neuter masculinity tyrants in the absence of strong men that 218 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:19,000 refuse to bow the knee, and to allow them to get away with whatever, 219 00:18:19,279 --> 00:18:23,400 can get away with whatever. And so what people in power want is 220 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:29,920 a more and more power, and so strong men standing up and saying absolutely 221 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:34,200 not represent I believe the greatest force that would keep them in check. And 222 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:41,119 so by changing sociologically what a man is, so that the goal post has 223 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:48,559 essentially been moved, you can weaken masculinity and take out any threat to tyrants 224 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:53,960 growing faster in power. I notice in studying the rise and decline and ultimate 225 00:18:55,039 --> 00:19:03,160 fall of different civilizations that societies will slowly erode over time, and then toward 226 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:07,599 the end there's a precipitous picking up of the pace, things start to fall 227 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:11,240 apart much much quicker. I noticed that now in our new cycle, something 228 00:19:11,279 --> 00:19:17,119 that will be absolutely assinine, that has everyone up in arms. It's the 229 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:22,039 biggest deal this week and next week it's almost completely forgotten as some new travesty 230 00:19:22,079 --> 00:19:27,720 and some new scandal takes the spotlight and the public memory to even remember what 231 00:19:27,799 --> 00:19:30,839 was happening a month ago. That was outrageous. We can't even do it, 232 00:19:30,839 --> 00:19:37,160 and it's indicative of the fact that we are declining at an alarming rate. 233 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:44,039 We need strong men more than ever to stand up absolutely. And I 234 00:19:44,079 --> 00:19:48,000 was reading through your introduction and I noticed this one section. You say, 235 00:19:48,039 --> 00:19:52,000 we may differ on politics, theologies, and personal philosophies of life, but 236 00:19:52,039 --> 00:19:55,920 if you can rally around living for a higher purpose, in sacrificing in defense 237 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:59,480 of others, then this is your invitation to join us. You talk a 238 00:19:59,559 --> 00:20:03,720 lot about your faith journey and how that has affected the way you've evolved as 239 00:20:03,759 --> 00:20:08,400 a man. Do you think faith is a necessary component for a man to 240 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:12,599 realize his full potential or do you see it playing out in people who maybe 241 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:17,079 don't have faith? So I can answer this a couple of different ways. 242 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,079 If I'm talking to a very broad audience like I am in the book, 243 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:25,960 I'd say, yeah, I think you need to live for higher purpose. 244 00:20:26,039 --> 00:20:29,400 That's part of how we become strong in virtue is to realize, no, 245 00:20:29,759 --> 00:20:33,839 pride isn't the center of morality, it's the center of immorality. If you 246 00:20:33,839 --> 00:20:38,200 want to live for other people, that is a humble, humble thought, 247 00:20:38,559 --> 00:20:44,519 and your faith journey is the main fuel that can help power that. If 248 00:20:44,839 --> 00:20:48,200 you don't have that, then it's not humility you exalt. It's pride that 249 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,680 you exalt. And then if it's pride, then the self is the highest 250 00:20:51,759 --> 00:20:55,640 ideal, and out of that the self will. That breeds selfishness, that 251 00:20:55,720 --> 00:21:03,240 breeds arrogance, it breeds hubris and narciss it's all the most loathsome parts of 252 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:08,440 humanity, which for ages past we all recognize with depravity. And now we 253 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:12,440 have not only our pride month, there's push to have it up pride season. 254 00:21:12,519 --> 00:21:17,920 Pride goes before a fall. Pride is not a good thing. It 255 00:21:18,039 --> 00:21:22,319 is an anti virtue, and so it's something that we absolutely in our faith 256 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:26,079 journey. Oh, we definitely need that now more specifically and more narrowly. 257 00:21:26,319 --> 00:21:33,119 I don't believe all faiths are correct any more than I believe that all answers 258 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:37,440 are correct. Two plus two it equals four. And some people might say, 259 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:41,079 oh, well, that is very very intolerant of all the infinite amount 260 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:45,400 of numbers that could be correct. You say four is the sow. I 261 00:21:45,519 --> 00:21:49,680 say, yeah, Truth by definition is narrow and exclusive, and so all 262 00:21:49,759 --> 00:21:53,400 religions similarly can't be correct. They're either all wrong or ones right, and 263 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,880 all the others are wrong. I believe that the Christian world view is the 264 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:03,079 correct one. Two thousand and twenty three years ago, something happened that would 265 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:07,119 break our calendar in two in usher in the largest religion the world has ever 266 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:12,079 known, And right there, smack dab in the middle of history stands Jesus 267 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:18,480 Christ, who wrote in the Sands of the Earth a line. And I 268 00:22:18,519 --> 00:22:26,200 believe that God was creator of the heavens and earth. Mankind has fallen, 269 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:30,720 cannot fix themselves and cannot be right with God. And so God himself stepped 270 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:33,559 out of heaven, lived the life we should have lived, died the death 271 00:22:33,759 --> 00:22:37,319 in our place for us, so that we could find salvation through Jesus Christ 272 00:22:37,519 --> 00:22:47,640 alone. And so I would say Jesus is the consummate warrior poet. He 273 00:22:47,759 --> 00:22:51,279 is my ideal, he is who I would like to be exactly like, 274 00:22:51,599 --> 00:22:57,359 and he's who really powers every aspect of my life. You wrap up the 275 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:03,839 book with this idea that is present throughout all of the principles you lay out, 276 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:07,279 and that is live free and die well within the context of especially what 277 00:23:07,279 --> 00:23:11,920 you were just talking about with the Christian worldview and your faith and what it 278 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:15,960 means to sort of achieve that higher purpose. What does it mean to die 279 00:23:17,039 --> 00:23:22,880 well? So we're going to die one day exactly as we lived, either 280 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:26,319 well or poorly, and we get to decide what that's like. Now if 281 00:23:26,319 --> 00:23:30,680 we're just checking our technology all the time, we get off work which we 282 00:23:30,759 --> 00:23:34,359 are just kind of begrudgingly going through, hoping that one day we put a 283 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:38,680 nest egg aside that is large enough so we can kick up our feed on 284 00:23:38,759 --> 00:23:44,640 a beach in Tahiti with Margarita's well, you're going to find at the end 285 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:49,920 of that road is a squandered and hollow life. People on their deathbed. 286 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:57,799 If you pay any attention to what very old folks are calling for, they're 287 00:23:57,799 --> 00:24:03,599 really wanting their relationships healed. They want more time with the ones they love. 288 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,920 Those are their biggest regrets. It's not that they didn't log more hours 289 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:11,160 at the office. And while I certainly would like people to go out there 290 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:15,240 in their vocational areas and just kill it and do really well and be a 291 00:24:15,319 --> 00:24:18,799 high producer, I don't believe we should do at the expense of the more 292 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:23,359 important things. In facing my own death many different times on a battlefield, 293 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:29,799 it really brought into sharp laser focus the things that are the most important things 294 00:24:29,799 --> 00:24:33,079 in life. If we're not extremely careful, we can react to the tyranny 295 00:24:33,079 --> 00:24:37,000 of the urgent and all of our to do lists. And if we're not 296 00:24:37,079 --> 00:24:41,599 careful, all of our time, our energy, our minds, our hands, 297 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:45,880 our bank accounts, all of it really goes towards vain pursuits that in 298 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:51,640 the moment satisfy and in the long run it robs us of all real joy 299 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:55,279 and purpose. And I urge my readers to not fall for it. And 300 00:24:55,319 --> 00:24:57,920 I'm doing a poor job. I believe in breaking all this sent It takes 301 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:02,839 a book to say what trying to do in a very quick, thirty thousand 302 00:25:02,839 --> 00:25:07,200 foot overview. But I want people to be able to live a life that 303 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:11,319 is full, so that when they reach the end of their days, whether 304 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:17,400 that's a very short time from now, which nobody knows when they're end is 305 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:19,000 coming, but I do know we need to be ready. Even a warrior 306 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:22,720 on a battlefield needs to be ready to face their end at any moment. 307 00:25:23,039 --> 00:25:27,799 If they're not and they get in a highly scary situation and realize that they're 308 00:25:27,839 --> 00:25:33,680 not ready to die, they have unfinished business, they have unresolved conflict. 309 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:37,960 They didn't answer the hardest questions on what happens when you die? And is 310 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:45,319 this even worth dying for? And those unanswered questions can rob a soldier of 311 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:49,880 all the focus and sacrifice and courage that they need in the moment on a 312 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:56,039 battlefield. And so it is ever so important that for someone to be able 313 00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:59,720 to die well, they need to live a life worthy of the calling that 314 00:25:59,759 --> 00:26:07,000 they have received. That's great. I know one aspect of your legacy that 315 00:26:07,039 --> 00:26:11,559 you discuss is your children. And I really loved the Raising Little Poets section 316 00:26:11,599 --> 00:26:15,160 of your book. Specifically, there is a passage titled Revolution Starts at Home. 317 00:26:15,559 --> 00:26:19,759 And I think our listeners have heard and seen over the last two years 318 00:26:19,759 --> 00:26:26,880 how radical this war on the family and on the home has become. What 319 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,720 are some practical tips that you can share with our listeners who are trying to 320 00:26:30,799 --> 00:26:33,599 raise their children right and well and sort of in the warrior poet way. 321 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,319 One thing I'll say right now is going to sting, but a need everyone 322 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:44,000 listening and to understand that this is coming from a place of care, and 323 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:48,400 it's definitely going to present immediate challenges. But if you would like to raise 324 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:52,640 your kids well, you have to actually raise them yourself. That means, 325 00:26:52,799 --> 00:26:57,359 do not give your children any longer to the government. Get them out of 326 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:02,839 government school some people call public schools, but their government schools, and you 327 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:06,960 need to take them out right now. This is a fallen institution that is 328 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:12,799 teaching all kinds of outrageous and terrible things. Now we see it. However, 329 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:18,119 even two decades ago it was happening. And we know that as a 330 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:22,920 result because the millennial generation, my generation and Generation Z is walking away from 331 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,920 their parents' values. And many parents get caught on their heels and say, 332 00:27:27,319 --> 00:27:32,079 what on earth why do they believe like this? I raise them better than 333 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,559 this. And here's the part that stings. If you were sending them to 334 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:41,119 school all day and then maybe they're enjoying extracurricular activities and then you gather around 335 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:44,960 the dinner table for an hour or so before they rush up to do homework. 336 00:27:45,039 --> 00:27:48,920 Understand, you're not raising your kids at all. It's not enough just 337 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:53,880 not seeing them enough. Their peers and their teachers are really raising them. 338 00:27:55,599 --> 00:28:00,039 Television and social media is raising them. And so they're needs to be enough 339 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:06,119 time with our kids so that they can catch the values and the education that 340 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:07,839 you have. Now a lot of people feel unfit for that, And there's 341 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,079 all kinds of ways I could answer this. I'm just centering in on this 342 00:28:11,279 --> 00:28:15,599 one area. I go into a bunch of areas in my book, But 343 00:28:17,279 --> 00:28:22,240 I will say that there's this fallacy that only the experts can really educate our 344 00:28:22,319 --> 00:28:26,240 kids. But I would challenge that way of thinking and say, hey, 345 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:33,480 mom, dad, what educational tools and what skills are you using right now 346 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:37,119 to make it in life? Those are the things that your kid needs to 347 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:44,000 be educated in. They don't need calculus. They need to see how you 348 00:28:44,079 --> 00:28:48,279 resolve conflict. They need to see how Daddy goes to work at a sales 349 00:28:48,319 --> 00:28:52,440 shop and does sales salesman never start teach them sales, teach them rhetoric and 350 00:28:52,519 --> 00:28:57,200 Samanta's help them fall in love with reading the live life, vibrantly, show 351 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:03,960 them how a good family should helpfully and vibrantly be spending time together. Show 352 00:29:03,039 --> 00:29:11,440 them how you do life and business. You can teach kids what you know, 353 00:29:11,599 --> 00:29:15,839 but you can only replicate who you are and so, and you can't 354 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,680 possibly replicate who you are if you're sending them off to be educated elsewhere. 355 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:26,920 And so it is really a new experiment in the timeline of the world to 356 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:33,279 send the kids to government to be able to be educated. It was always 357 00:29:33,279 --> 00:29:37,519 the churches or the homes that do it. Now when I say home education, 358 00:29:37,079 --> 00:29:41,400 there's all kinds of amazing homeschool co ops and whatnot where you can band 359 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:45,799 together with all kinds of like minded families, and the movement has exploded. 360 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:52,759 People are realizing that it is actually very fulfilling and far easier to educate your 361 00:29:52,799 --> 00:29:56,359 kids than they ever dreamed in times past. And also say, hey, 362 00:29:56,519 --> 00:29:59,559 there are some private schools out there that would be really good. There's also 363 00:29:59,799 --> 00:30:03,119 a great amount of private schools that are really public school curriculum which added a 364 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:07,480 chapel service, and really they're not moving the needle. You're just spending a 365 00:30:07,559 --> 00:30:12,160 lot to have the same result as the government school. So really lean into 366 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:18,160 your private school and make sure it is a good one. I'm totally biased 367 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:22,480 towards homeschooling. I was homeschooled all twelve years and then went off to college 368 00:30:22,519 --> 00:30:26,200 and it was a wonderful experience for me and my family. But I have 369 00:30:26,279 --> 00:30:29,400 to say, I mean, yeah, you said it's an experiment, and 370 00:30:29,519 --> 00:30:33,039 it's a failing experiment. It's one that we've seen, especially in the last 371 00:30:33,039 --> 00:30:34,799 couple of years, just completely crumbled to the ground, and that's why so 372 00:30:34,839 --> 00:30:38,759 many people are fleeing. And I think that's kind of the exact downfall as 373 00:30:38,799 --> 00:30:42,440 you can trace a lot of these societal issues back to what you talk about 374 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:47,039 in the book, and that's the character that comes specifically from the head of 375 00:30:47,079 --> 00:30:52,559 household, the character building, the integrity, the pouring into the family aspect. 376 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:56,680 And one thing that I've found interesting in recent years in this space and 377 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:02,759 conversation is voices like Andrew Tate have risen in some circles as sort of the 378 00:31:02,799 --> 00:31:07,400 authority on masculinity. But his attempt to explain gender roles for me and I 379 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:12,599 think many others fall short, especially because of his willingness to sexually exploit women 380 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:18,720 and all of that. So I'm curious, what about the warrior poet mindset 381 00:31:18,279 --> 00:31:25,599 should appeal to men who can't find adequate guidance on sustainable manliness through shock jocks 382 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:32,359 like Tate. Yeah, I would say Tate gets a lot of stuff right, 383 00:31:32,759 --> 00:31:38,279 especially on the warrior aspect. But Tate is not moving toward happily ever 384 00:31:38,359 --> 00:31:42,319 after with the blushing bride of his youth and kids that adore him, all 385 00:31:42,359 --> 00:31:45,960 the stuff that's going to matter the most in the back half of your life. 386 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:52,039 Tate is absolutely incorrect on and too many young men who see the strength 387 00:31:52,279 --> 00:32:00,160 and you know, the outward strength anyway, and the daring and the leadership. 388 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:02,240 Those are attractive qualities, and so he gets quite a following, but 389 00:32:02,359 --> 00:32:09,880 people don't realize that he's lacking the stuff that matters the most. And if 390 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:15,319 you follow Tate, you're going to destroy your life. Young men, you 391 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:22,559 can do better than that of Tate. Will never know the outrageous joy and 392 00:32:22,599 --> 00:32:27,480 fulfillment that I get from my family and from my faith. He's never going 393 00:32:27,519 --> 00:32:34,799 to know it. Last question here, I guess I'm just curious for the 394 00:32:34,839 --> 00:32:38,279 people who have not had the benefit of having a warrior poet leading their home 395 00:32:38,359 --> 00:32:44,160 or their family. What can the rest of us do to sort of advance 396 00:32:44,359 --> 00:32:51,400 society towards embracing this this outpouring of like I said, character building, integrity, 397 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:57,359 and manliness that we know scientifically and emotionally benefits everyone. I mean, 398 00:32:57,359 --> 00:33:01,039 when men are in charge and doing well and pouring into the lives of their 399 00:33:01,039 --> 00:33:05,720 families and supporting their wives and kids, we see the benefits and the blessings 400 00:33:05,759 --> 00:33:08,119 of that. So how can we advance that idea outside of the home and 401 00:33:08,759 --> 00:33:15,720 encourage institutions to sort of adopt that framework. All of our institutions of power 402 00:33:15,839 --> 00:33:23,799 are really downstream of culture. Andrew Breitbart says politics were our downstream of the 403 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:29,960 sociological aspects of culture. And so one thing that we can all do right 404 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:34,079 now is to stop self censoring. We can speak the truth. We can 405 00:33:34,119 --> 00:33:37,720 stand for our values and let the capsule lock commandos with their pink hair go 406 00:33:38,079 --> 00:33:45,000 rage tastic on us and stop caring, go on the offense. Refuse to 407 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:52,519 just sit back and let all of the public debate go to them because we're 408 00:33:52,519 --> 00:34:00,359 so afraid to have something to have any negative consequences. If I think it 409 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:02,759 was Mark Twain who said no one's hated so much as someone who speaks the 410 00:34:02,759 --> 00:34:08,559 truth. Actually that was Plato, I think paraphrase later by Twain. Anyway, 411 00:34:08,599 --> 00:34:12,960 I think that's absolutely true. The battle lines are drawn up real clear. 412 00:34:13,079 --> 00:34:19,239 And what all it I think Edmund Burke all that it takes for evil 413 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:22,599 to triumph is for good men to do or say nothing, and so go 414 00:34:22,639 --> 00:34:29,760 on the offensive. Guys, don't be afraid to breach uncomfortable subjects with friends 415 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:35,159 and family and co workers, and understand in trying to preserve the most important 416 00:34:35,199 --> 00:34:38,760 aspects of life and culture, it's going to cost you something personally. You 417 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:44,800 need to know that and be willing to pay that. Some of us are 418 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:49,480 still thinking that we could just keep a low profile, let someone else do 419 00:34:49,519 --> 00:34:52,480 the fight, let someone else be canceled, let someone else say the hard 420 00:34:52,559 --> 00:34:57,719 things, and we'll sit back and we'll just kind of enjoy the status quo 421 00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:01,960 and hope optimistically that all will return to normal, and it won't. We 422 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:07,039 need all hands on deck to engage in the battlefield of ideas wherever you can 423 00:35:07,079 --> 00:35:13,320 find it, and speak the truth in love. We at the Federalist are 424 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:15,079 huge fans of the truth and huge fans of what you're doing. John, 425 00:35:15,119 --> 00:35:19,599 So thank you so much for coming on the show today and talking with our 426 00:35:19,639 --> 00:35:22,599 listeners. We appreciate it. I deeply appreciate Jordan, thanks so much for 427 00:35:22,639 --> 00:35:27,480 the time you've been listening to another edition of The Federalist Radio Hour. I'm 428 00:35:27,519 --> 00:35:30,599 George Lloyd, a staff writer at The Federalist. Until next time, The 429 00:35:30,679 --> 00:35:37,599 lovers of freedom and anxious for the brain right