Bestselling author and men’s podcaster Jim Ramos speaks with Josh Hatcher about the need for men to be strong in the midst of a culture that seems to condemn strong and noble masculinity.
Ramos is the founder of Men in the Arena, a non-profit Christian ministry focused on equipping men to honor God in their leadership of their family, church, and community. Men in the Arena has a weekly podcast with more than 250,000 men from around the world, and a facebook group of more than 10,000 men who tackle the issues of manhood and help to build each other up.
Jim Ramos’s book, Strong Men Dangerous Times spells out a clear definition of masculinity, one that is rooted in faith and tradition, and sounds almost counter-cultural. He spells out clear expectations for men, and speaks to their deepest struggles and insecurities.
For several years, physicists and scientists and philosophers have presented the idea that the concepts in the Matrix movies may not be as fictional as they would appear.
And he’s not alone. Many scholars have pondered the question, are we living in a reality, or a simulation of some kind?
In the Matrix trilogy, Morpheus addresses Keanu Reeve’s character, Neo, and offers him a choice. Take the BLUE PILL and continue to believe what you know, or take the RED PILL and you can see the truth. That Red Pill metaphor has permeated culture, with everything from conspiracy theories to the incel movement, to just a general representation of mankind accepting truth.
Are we living in a simulation?
I don’t believe that the simulation is a computer or holographic simulation – but I do believe that there is some truth behind this concept. Let’s look deeper.
Cognitive Dissonance
According to Simply Psychology.com Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance.
Narrative Culture
If the last couple years have taught us anything, it’s that there are often multiple narratives, and often a prevailing narrative that we are expected to accept. Some of those narratives are perpetuated and bolstered by powerful forces.
Who owns the media?
15 billionaires and 6 corporations own and control almost all of the major media outlets in the United States.
The FBI and the CIA have declassified many of their old case files and operations. They are not all declassified, and some are heavily redacted. One thing is clear, there are things that have been done by these government agencies that raise suspicions about their motives, their intentions, and their allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, the sovereignty of other nations, and the freedoms of the American people.
If the CIA could do experiments on US citizens in the 1960s, why would we believe they stopped today? If they were influencing foreign journalists to portray a false narrative to the people in order to participate in psychological warfare, why would we assume they stopped today?
I understand that these questions are bordering on conspiracy theory. I want to make it clear that I’m not saying with concrete evidence that there is malfeasance, but judging on what was done in the past, it takes a certain degree of cognitive dissonance to believe that these actions have stopped.
Here are a couple of declassified events and programs that ought to give you pause before you trust the narrative that the media is telling you the truth, and that the government has your best interest at heart.
I want to encourage to look these up for yourself, and read the original declassified files, and then rather than just assume a conspiracy theory about them, be aware of these as historical instances that may shape our current reality.
Operation Mockingbird
Operation Northwoods
The Tuskegee Experiments
The Gulf of Tonkin
MK Ultra
What is the truth?
Part of the problem we have in our culture today is that we have muddied the entire concept of Truth. One group says one thing, and the side says another. We have very little ability to distinguish the Truth from a cleverly crafted fiction.
Is There A Higher Reality?
I spoke with Brennen Nakane recently as we recorded an interview that will air later in the season, and in our pre-interview conversation, he had some amazing thoughts on the idea of us living in a simulation that I thought were worth adding to this conversation.
What if it’s not about a “simulation” but about a higher “reality”? What if this is a temporary reality in comparison to a permanent reality? When we see “glitches” or random coincidences that seem to point to a designer, maybe they are actually pointing to a Grand Designer?
What if there IS more to this life than just the 70-90 years of sleeping, working, and complaining about random crap?
Justin Jones of The Curious Jones Podcast talks with Josh Hatcher of the Manlihood ManCast
Justin Jones of the Curious Jones podcast talks about success, prioritizing his family, launching a successful side hustle, and what it means to be a good man.
After growing up in small town in Pennsylvania, Justin Jones climbed the ladder of success in the software industry, becoming VP of sales, and acquiring multiples maller tech companies and larger enterprise tech firms.
Jones co-founded Aktion, which is a specialty roast coffee and natural supplements company, and launched the Curious Jones Podcast which is available on all podcast streaming platforms including Apple, Spotify, Pandora and Stitcher.
Justin Jones has interviewed guests that range from Special Forces Green Beret Tim Kennedy, CrossFit Games Athlete Kristine Andali, Neuroscientist Randy Stout, PhD., Ryan Michler of Order of Man, and a host of other professional athletes, authors, and interesting people.
A covenant is a sacred promise. Marriage is a prime example of that. When you marry someone – you make a permanent bond that is meant to be unbreakable. A promise of fidelity. Breaking that bond has severe consequences.
Men – we have other covenants too. Some unspoken, some formal
Jeff Putnam of Rugged Legacy | The Power of the Tribe | Manlihood ManCast
Jeff Putnam is rugged
Raising 9 kids with the same woman, clawing his way out of poverty, becoming an author, and building multiple brands has made him a perfect example of what it means to be rugged.
Jeff talks with Josh Hatcher of Manlihood about the power of the Tribe, what it means to truly live in brotherhood and community, and describes the hard road it took to find success and establish himself as a man and a leader of men.
We’ve been talking about the Virtues of Manhood, and this week, Josh Hatcher of Manlihood talks about the virtue of Service, and how every man should view his role as a leader through the lens of service.
To Serve is more noble than to dominate
Leadership starts with service.
Those that serve will reap rewards.
You don’t need a title to lead.
Kindness – The golden rule
Ultimately, we all want to be KINGS, the king of our home, the top dog at work, etc., but the truth is, KNIGHT may be a more accurate title for our role. We serve a King or a Kingdom (and we can unpack what THAT means another day) and we serve it not as a ruler, or a lord, but as a leader who lays his life on the line for those he loves.
Mike has served for years as a men’s group leader and is the recipient of the Life Changer Award. He lives in North Georgia with his beloved wife of 20 years. They are the proud parents of three children. Mike loves the outdoors, fishing, boating, skiing, cooking on cast iron, and time with family and friends
In “Iron and Cotton,” Mike Povenz offers insight that informs and prepares men for the greatest journey in life – marriage. In this must-read book, you will discover the obstacles and challenges that ensnare other men but will not ensnare you. You will receive the tools to help defy the statistics of divorce and grow into the intentional and purposeful man and husband that your family needs. Nobody goes into marriage planning to fail. Yet, millions of couples end up divorced or trapped in loveless and sexless marriages. With the guidance and advice in this book, you will be forged in the fires of wisdom and prepared to handle anything. Inside every man, there is an offering of strength and compassion waiting to be released into his marriage – an IRON side of him ready to offer courage and stability and a COTTON side prepared to offer comfort and understanding. The combination of these traits is essential to build character and fortify your marriage.
Josh shared his journey from a bullied kid to a man who rose above and found his place, the power of creativity, and the transformation that fatherhood brings into a man’s life.
Grit is a manly virtue that is often overlooked. Especially in a culture of instant gratification, we honestly forget the power of perseverance and resilience, and how they relate to a man achieving success.
Them That win is Them That Don’t Quit
– Harrison Ford
Purpose
Knowing your WHY can help you do any WHAT or any HOW. When a man digs into his purpose, he can use that to help him push through any obstacle.
Determination
Everything starts with a decision. When that decision or determination is made, it is the start of a mindset. When a mind is truly SET on something, it can continue to accomplish anything,
Perseverance
It’s so important no to give up… not to surrender… not to quit. Perseverance is the key. It’s not easy, nor is it simply granted by fairies or empty prayers. It take practice, and when purpose and determination are set in place, it’s possible to keep striving and pushing through the hardship.
Strength of Will
Remember that strength is a muscle that we build. While there are surely some born with stronger more stubborn wills than others, most folks have to exercise to get strong. Start small, pick a few small disciplines to practice daily, or a few small and easy bad habits to break. Keep it up, and your WILL will become stronger.
I actually had the privilege to open up as a solo performer for Dave Bray when he was touring with his band, he took the stage in our small town, and rocked the National Anthem in a way that I’d never seen before. On stage, he was a high energy ball of lightning, angry about the brokenness of our political system, hyped about the glory of the American Dream, and he yelled, jumped, and sweated full steam like a rock star should, putting on an amazing show. Off the stage, he was humble, kind, and his strength and energy were focused on listening to the veterans and new found fans who were excited to meet him and have a moment of his time, which he graciously gave to each of them.
His music and videos have been seen by millions of fans, and it’s all driven by Patriotism and Faith.
He has shared the stage with Weezer, Kansas, Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Shinedown, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as Brantley Gilbert, Hank Williams Jr, and Toby Keith.
In this interview for Manlihood.com, Dave Bray unpacks the heart of his music, talks about what America needs today, and shares his journey from the Navy to rock stardom.
