Where Have All the Good Men Gone

May 29th, 2012 | Author:

and Who Will Lead Future Generations

by Jeff Piersall

As society continues to push people into mediocrity, we see more and more men fall from the basic responsibility of their birthright. The qualities of courage, determination, vigor, strength and character seem to be lost in the pool of sameness and victim mentality. Decency and common sense have almost been lost on policy, political correctness, self-fulfilling egos, and the victims who hide behind the mantra of woe is me who is not as qualified as you.

As John Wayne would say, Cowboy up!

George Patton commented on the qualities of a man, stating, Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is bestall men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood.

In most instances, the battleground for a man is not a military confrontation but rather the battleground of life which might be greater yet the fear to compete is identical. The duty includes the support of family, the example set for children, community and work.

Honor Thy Father

During the month of June we have Fathers Day; it is celebrated with far less pomp and circumstance than Mothers Day and rightfully so because the nature of a good man is embarrassed by this type of celebration. Why celebrate what is a basic responsibility of personal duty anyway However, with men checking out on their responsibility and duty at an alarming rate, we might serve ourselves well to start recognizing the good men.

If you truly want to cut down on government overhead, taxes, and the multitude of issues we have in society, then only support the good men and expose the others for their lack of responsibility. Even the politicians agree on this topic. President Obama said the following in his Father’s Day remarks last year: “Children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime, nine times more likely to drop out of schools, and twenty times more likely to end up in prison.”

And, Ann Coulter, Republican, states in her latest book, Guilty: “Seventy percent of teenage births, dropouts, suicides, runaways, juvenile delinquents, and child murderers involve children raised by single mothers.”

Look at the list of items that are a result of a child raised without a father:

Teen Suicide 63%
Behavioral Disorders 85%
High School Dropout 71%
Juvenile Detention 70%

(Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control, National Principles Association and U.S. Dept of Justice)

This does not even include the issues of confused identity and aggression. Without a father, boys become overly aggressive and confused about their gender value and identity. Children who are raised with both parents outperform other students by two times, despite their economic status according to the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.

The basic duty of a man is to pass on and lift up the next generation. We are dealing with a loss of duty and a generation of children who are now becoming second-generation welfare babies.

Being Accountable for Ones Self

One of the key character traits that has been lost is personal accountability for self. Look around and youll notice the people from government down through local organizations, businesses or your own relationships who are blaming others for what they lack. This single characteristic is most damaging to the environment of our youth.

A sense of duty is not passed over in blame. Look at the lives of some of the men in our community men such as Scott Sorensen, Jim Barfield, Gary Hardey, Richard Levine, Chris Burton, Joseph Duda, John Hopkins, Chris Heintz (just to name a few) these are men who know they are not perfect but never blame others for their failures or weaknesses and continue to strive for perfection. They are shining examples of manhood; they owe their sense of duty to themselves, their families, businesses, communities and nation.

Bob Proctor, the great personal trainer, stated: Change is inevitable; personal growth is optional. Men of duty and honor never stop the quest for wisdom on the journey of personal growth. Napolean Hill summarized the essence of manhood when he commented, in Think and Grow Rich, Persistence is to the character of a man as is carbon to steel.

Real men also know you must first be one in order to be treated like one instead of the imposters who believe that if you treat me well, I will respond well.

Jeff Piersall is the CEO of SCB Marketing, which publishes SpaceCoast Business magazine. Contact him at (321) 537-4941 or jeff@scbmarketing.com