Resist the Temptation

As I prepared for the recent retreat, several men asked me what would distinguish the message of the event from comparable gatherings held here or in other places over the last several years.  One of my good friends, who has been to a TON of these kinds of retreats, left the event saying, “Sir, I’m so glad I didn’t go to another conference made to tell men that they should finally give up porn.  This retreat was clearly made for those who are already past that, already have some battle scars, and are looking for opportunities to gain some new ones!”  

He’s right.  Additionally, this retreat was meant to provide what only a well sponsored private retreat could deliver.  An unapologetic and realistic perspective about what is going on in our society and an appeal to the urgency we must have in combating it tooth and nail.

I don’t mind hanging out in the “fringe”.  I don’t mind “pushing the boundaries” or “stretching the plate”, because life is worse for everyone when no one does so.  Without a gadfly, we all get lulled to sleep and start accepting the absurd as "normal".  I'm only perturbed that too many things that shouldn't be labeled "fringe" are in fact branded as such these days.  We have obsessive and scrupulous "optics" minders and out of touch and out of reach men of authority to thank for that.  

Publicly stating that brand new and barely tested gene editing therapeutics should not be presumed as the solution to our problems should not be a fringe position.  Standing against coercion to accept such therapeutics should not be fringe.  Standing up to violence against the police, looting and rioting, all while calling the guilty parties Marxists should not be fringe.  Believing that there was mass voter fraud when five swing states all flipped for the other candidate after all simultaneously halting counting in the dead of night should not be fringe.  When eventually 1,000 people Jericho march around the capitol building on a single day to pray for election integrity, it should not be considered fringe to process with rosaries and icons.  But if you only knew how impossible it was to get one priest to attend one time over that eight week period.  

Too many people are overly concerned about optics.  We have lived in a world where even those who know better than the trending narrative obsessively bow down to optics.  Let’s be honest, it’s a big reason Covid “mitigations” have been as irrational as they have been.  It’s a big part of how churches were shut down for several weeks and why some conferences that promote the message of courage, heroism and fearlessness were held virtually this past year.  

Well I’m not interested in optics.  Real Catholic men, despite what the phantom market research supposedly indicate, aren’t overly interested in optics either.  They are interested in sainthood.  They are interested in being faithful to reality and in being the courageous men they were made to be.  So here I make my call to those who have a few battle scars and want to stay the course of fervor, or the men who are looking to add another thing to die to self over for the sake of His glorious kingdom in such otherwise inglorious times.  

One of my favorite moments from this past weekend came from Hichborn’s third talk.  He emphasized the need to keep focused on what is ahead of the plow you are steering.  Do not look back.  Observe what happened to Lot’s wife when she looked back.  Leave Adam behind, put on the new man, and go forward.  That pretty much sums up our call at this exact moment.

Let me point out a pressing example to drive the point home.  Many men, myself included, are starting to feel the atmosphere of September.  It’s inescapable.  No matter how hard you try not to acknowledge it, you know that the NFL season will be back in full swing in just a short time.  While the allure of the spectacle presses closer toward you, I want to be that gadfly who reminds you of what they did.  What they did to you and to America one year ago and continue to do today.  As the NFL, in their own over obsession about optics, fined their coaches heavily for defying mask policies, this year they are forced to be vaccinated or lose their jobs while players are also experiencing extreme pressure.  Last year they literally saluted Marxism.  Again, “fringe!” you cry.  Here is a sample of what was strewn accross NFL stadiums last year:


 

Here are the ideals that BLM supported openly on their website just a little over a year ago: "We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure", "We foster a queer‐affirming network" and "We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege".  Do you remember as well where donations went if one chose to donate money to BLM last year?  That’s right, Act Blue, "The Left's Favorite 'Dark Money' Machine".

It’s not enough to bitch about how stupid Joe Biden is, how anti-America the democrat party is, and how horrible the woke snowflakes are, then refuse to act in such a simple way.  In fact, what I call men to do is passive.  Stop watching.  If you already stopped watching last year, resist the temptation and keep away from the bread and circus again this year.  Think of all the amazing experiences you had with your family when your whole day was not devoted to cheering on grown men playing a child’s game.  Recall the scene in Gladiator when the catapults came out between contests and literally launched loaves of bread into the stands.  Be proud of your powers of self-mastery and your manliness.  Keep pushing the plow and don’t look back!

Here are three suggestions on what you can do to fill the “void” left by walking away from the NFL:

1. Find a high school football team to get behind.  If you really feel like you can’t get over your football obsession and just move on from observing the game entirely, there are plenty of fantastic teams to get behind who represent schools that have not totally lost their minds over the last year and a half. And now a days, they play some darn good football to boot!  This is 2021, the high school football product is actually pretty quality for a lot of schools.  I have this charter school I am following that was very tolerant of mask exemptions last year for students and faculty and whose district has publicly stated that they will never make vaccinations mandatory.  They are also a school dedicated to teaching kids American patriotism as they resist Critical Race Theory curriculum.  The players aren’t corrupted by money and fame, and the football is extremely watchable.  So much winning.

2. Adopt a regular activity to do with your family every Sunday.  Make it a ritual.  Maybe it’s just that you get up slightly later for mass on Sunday, stay a bit afterwards and let the kids interact with other children while you catch up with friends, and then you go out for ice cream and stop at the park for a couple of hours.  Bring some meat, use the grill, and observe how much mess you don’t have to clean up at home now.  A recent study suggests that women find their husbands 125% more attractive when following this proposed Sunday plan over drinking beer while watching several hours of grown men throwing balls around.  Facts.

3. Help coach your son’s football team.  As an experienced football coach, let me let you in on a little secret… head coaches don’t care if you sucked at football or don’t know much about the game.  If you are willing to volunteer to help coach your son’s football team, the head coach will find something for you to do.  Is it a waste of time if you feel like you aren’t contributing much in terms of "X's and O's"?  Well, if we recognize, as the saying goes, that kids are not distrctions from the important things, but instead are the most important thing, then no.  I don’t care if it’s just flag football… you will grow closer to your son as you help coach for his football team.  Period.  And if you are a football lightweight, you will learn some things too.  Where will you find the time to do this?  Another top secret… time is fungible.  All the time you won’t spend watching football, you can now use it during the week to spend more time with your son.  You got this.

What an over bearing challenge!  And so fringe!  The nerve of this guy!  Who does he think he is?  I’m just a guy who had the best NFL season of his life last year because he didn’t watch a single minute of it.  Call me up, let me know what Sunday is good for your family to eat with us at the park while the kids throw the football.  Join me.  

Citius, Altius, Fortius!  Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

God bless,

Gadfly