The Good Men Fallacy // TRUCK TALK THURSDAY

There are a lot of books on entrepreneurship, marriage, and raising kids. In fact, you're likely to gain some needed wisdom on any of these subjects just by being with and observing people who are in that season of life. However, when it comes to the second half of life, let's say 40 onward, it can feel pretty lonely.

My guest today is Chris Bruno and he's the author of Sage: A Man's Guide into His Second Passage. Chris brings focus into the oftentimes nebulous second stage of a man's life. In our conversation we talk about mid-life crises, reconnecting with our boyhood as we grow older, and avoiding the pitfalls so many men fall into as they begin to realize their youth is a thing of the past.

In this episode I share my experience of one year as a student of Krav Maga, the Israeli Self-Defense system taught all over the world to Special Forces, military, and individuals like myself. I'll go through why I chose Krav and how it's increased my situational awareness and confidence.

Every man needs to be training to defend his life or the lives of those he could protect. This includes weapons training -- firearms in particular -- but also hand-to-hand, multiple attackers, car jackings, active shooters, and so on. Be ready, not just willing. Krav Maga can get you there.

There are two complimentary natures in manhood; the warrior and the poet. Today, the man who can simultaneously appreciate the finer arts and yet stand strong in adversity seems to be a rare breed. My guest on this episode, John Lovell, calls men to this noble undertaking and shares his guiding principles in his book The Warrior Poet Way.

This is the book I wish i had when I was in my early 30s and starting my journey of manhood in earnest. The Warrior Poet Way keeps the reader engaged while also imparting much needed wisdom in a man-to-man, relatable. Listen to the episode, then get a copy of the book. You'll be a better man for it.

Vivek Ramaswamy is a presidential candidate worth listening to. He has the right ideas for America and is pushing for a dismantling of many agencies, including the FBI and CIA, and believes that America needs a common identity.

I agree. We do.

But, he is Hindu. While he has been open about being raised Hindu and still considers himself and his family Hindus, he was also raised with a good deal of knowledge and influence from Christianity.

The questions I pose in this episode are these:

• If an American President is 99% of what you want -- Conservative, Independent, beholden to the people, etc. -- does it matter if he is a Christian or not?
• What are the implications for a non-Christian President?
• Does the American identity need to be explicitly Christian or can it be more of a set of ideals and principles apart from a specific religion?

I give my answers at the end of the podcast, but these are great questions and ones we need to answer. Vivek isn't the first and he certainly won't be the last.

Eugen Sandow is a name most men ought to know. He also had a physique people believed could only be achieved in the imagination or sculpted in marble. He's known as the father of bodybuilding, but in this episode I don't want to focus on how jacked he was. Rather, I use his story to drive home a deeper point. One that we've been missing for most of our lives.

It's far too easy to get caught up in the latest scandal, political issue, hot topic, etc. It's also easy to go down the rabbit hole of self-improvement, learning more than we are actually doing. We can begin to feel that the path to success is too difficult because of all the nuances we've put into our heads instead of focusing on the practical...the basics.

As our other business, Rustic and Main, can attest people are still getting married. Nearly 2 million weddings happen in the US every year. However, the median age for marriage is now 30 and the divorce rate is still very high at nearly 40%. What people want from marriage and what they bring to a marriage have changed dramatically in the last 25+ years.

AI is here and to be honest, I'm both amazed and a bit terrified. It's astonishingly brilliant and at the same time deeply concerning. It's key that we, as men, don't bury our head in the sand on this and just assume the worse will happen. This is rapidly changing our world and we need to be up to speed on this and involved in the development.

Currently, the AI that we have access to doesn't have the reasoning capabilities that AI of the sci-fi movies displays. It mimics reason but it doesn't understand truth in the same way that we do. As AI moves in this direction, though, it will need some basis of truth -- how the world actually works -- and with truth comes the need for a necessary bias.

It's important for parents to realize two things: 1. Our kids are experiencing a different world and a higher degree of temptation than we did. 2. They think that it's normal.

Our job, as people who grew up in a different time, is to remind them of how things used to be and to let them know that the world they have been born into misses out on some very human experiences.

Although I still have a lot to learn, I've picked up a few helpful tips in writing and publishing 2 books. If you're getting started on your own book or you're just interested in the topic, you'll love this episode.

Plus, I have a special thank you for all of you who have purchased from the Wolf & Iron store AND something special to be watching for!

Check out both books here: 

Tending the Fire: Ignite Your Heart and Live Life as a Man

The Guy's Guide to Pocket Knives