Welcome, Steve Skojec fans!
Thanks for stopping by! I wasn’t expecting anyone for awhile, so let me clean up around here a little bit…
I had no idea Steve was going to mention this embryonic little effort, and if he’d asked to promote it, I probably would have said, “Maybe in a little while.” But then, that response would be completely contrary to one of the central ideas of this effort, (boldly BEING right NOW), so I let it slide.
Just this once, Steve…
At any rate, thanks for checking it out. Now that I know I’ll be writing for actual people instead of the Void, I look forward to seeing how that focuses the writing. I even know many of you early subscribers, which is great, because it feels like I’m talking to in-real-life friends. Because, you know, I am.
You can read the early post or two for more background, but if you haven’t yet, here’s what I’m getting at: I think men have been in trouble for a long while now, and I believe it’s possible to become the men they want to be, or more importantly, are called to be, no matter what obstacles they face. I’m not the first one to get into this space, and probably not the 1,000th. The only reason I think I have something to add to the “Manosphere” is that every outpost I’ve visited in it has been missing something. The Manosphere is either hyper-masculine, emphasizing the worst traits in mens’ nature, or it’s so “pastel Jesus” as to be revolting to even the weakest men. It’s just been my experience. As a priest buddy of mine frequently says, “Your mileage may vary.”
There are personal reasons for starting this thing, too: I’m in my own crucible, and I rarely find Manosphere outposts written from the perspective of being IN it. They’re usually written/produced by men who have (allegedly) conquered all. They’ve restored their marriages, rebuilt their empires, and through the all-holy trinity of abs, cash and guns, have become KINGS. Well, that’s great for them, and I appreciate a lot of the wisdom they acquired on their quests, but I’ve also known a lot of men within these communities who are nowhere near achieving anything like their guru/masters’ success. And what they’re being given is usually nothing they’re ready for.
Can I give that to these men? Honestly, I’d be shocked if I could. But what I can do is tell you what has worked for me. I started life with a big, “I can’t.” I don’t know why. I was too young to have daddy issues when I first uttered those words (literally in the crib). Other factors basically destroyed me. So, when I took on the mantle of “man,” with no real rite of passage other than a brief wedding ceremony, I was woefully ill-prepared. Honestly, if I had to do it all over again or be reincarnated as a latrine next to a Taco Bell, I’d probably choose the latter.
Too much? Well, that’s me, so be forewarned…
Nonetheless, in my 48th year, I finally conquered a few things and feel a calling to write about it. Maybe it’s ego. Or desperation. Or something else. But I’m going for it, and I’m grateful for your eyeballs.
I should add that it wouldn’t have been possible to write any of this before. I cared too much about other people’s opinions. Now, while I need to be mindful of our ever-watchful and abundantly virtuous tech overlords, it’s not so important. Call it the Rule of Steves: Steve Skojec blew up his main revenue source because he doubted the truth of his subject. Stephen King admonished us to write only the truth in his excellent book, “On Writing.” And Steven Pressfield considers the craft a vocation that can only be pursued in and of and for the purpose of becoming who we really are.
I’ve learned some truths that I think are worth sharing, mainly because I don’t hear them very often.
Got any questions? Want to rant? Unload? Go for it. You can comment here, or for all I know about Substack so far, you can message me somehow through the app. If not, my primary social platform is the abominable Twitter. You can find my handle here. DM me anytime.
Thanks again, and thanks to Steve, who, I might add, is getting a totally unjustifiable amount of crap from people who should know better. He’s a good dude, and I’ve thought so since long before that night we met at a bonfire. (Which, you know, explains my fangirl reaction to realizing the guy sitting to my left was the freaking blogger behind One Peter Five. Sorry about that, man. I know it was totally unnecessary to twist all of your bottle caps off. And call you ‘sir…’)
Cheers. Vivere est militare. Be couragous.
-Chris