Young Men Need Heroes
Young men these days are so disheartened by the world that they have given up all hope. Every time you talk to them, they cite economic statistics, their struggles, their traumas, and how they have been systematically exploited. Of course, there is truth to that. But what do you expect from the world, an apology?
The only way they have chosen to respond is by drowning themselves in addiction and women. The nihilism is not helping, but it is at least giving them a convenient excuse to do what they always wanted to do. They have surrendered to their circumstances. They have given up hope in the future and in their own abilities. When your entire existence is tied to the circumstances handed to you, you are never going to be great.
That is why it is important for young people to be exposed to heroes. They should have real heroes who once walked this earth. Real people from history. Every great man who has ever lived has looked to heroes for inspiration and emulation. Nearly all of them were born into turbulent times because comfort does not produce heroes. The need for heroes always arises in difficult times, and history bears that out. None of them rose through the ranks without being audacious and borderline insane.
Read history. Follow your heroes. Learn everything about them. Idolise them if you want to. Do not read history written by socialist writers who dismiss every great leader as a dictator. The more you revere your heroes, the more hopeful you become amid chaos, and the more opportunities you begin to see. That is the most important quality you must cultivate today. Not losing hope, regardless of the circumstances, is an edge.
A calm mind can find more opportunities than a disturbed mind that has already given up. Every era believes it has reached the end, that it has been left behind, that it has lost the race. Yet in every era, there are people who thrive. You need to train your mind to keep looking for opportunities that will pull you out of the rut. And for that, you need to be audacious enough to try multiple things and unafraid of failure.
And do you know how you cultivate audacity? By reading about people who have done it all before you.