Forged in Fire

Whoa. What an opening title, right?

Sure, it may seem as such, but not in the way you might be thinking.

What typically comes to mind in the present day when the word “radical” is brought up in conversation? A few things might include:

• Political extremism
• Wild, unpredictable behavior
• Opposing the status quo

You get the picture, I’m sure.

Now, here is where I may lose some folks – that’s okay.

The things listed above – the terms and behaviors associated with those “radical” individuals throughout our society – they were spot on … 40 years ago.

Present day? Not so much.

The word radical itself is political in nature – this much is true.

By definition:

rad-i-cal

/’radek(e)l/

Adjective

(especially of change or action) relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.

That said, it’s now used awfully loosely, don’t you think? It’s become an easy label for just about anything we don’t agree with. Without much serious thought or consideration, we as a general whole just slap the title on “x” group of people or “y” school of thought.

Why?

Here’s my take:

In simpler terms, a “radical” person, or group of people stands as anything or anyone trekking steadfast against the grain of a populous movement – for better or for worse.

The peace-loving hippies of the 1960’s and 70’s? In an otherwise mostly conservative nation?

The civil rights movement?

Climate change strikes and protests?

The Black Panthers?

Radical.

How? Because they were pushing back against societal norms. Which begs the question, what are today’s societal norms? What (truly) would a “radical” movement look like in the year 2024?

Backed by a few statistics, my thoughts on the matter are actually fairly simple, but incredibly concrete.

In a nation founded on Christianity, with 52 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence identifying as committed Christians, the United States sits at 68% of Americans identify as such, down from 90% in the 1940’s.

With birth rates at a literal all-time low within the U.S. – at 1.62 births per family, down from 3.55 40-50 years ago, decreasing several percentage points each year since 2007.

Where obesity rates have seen an increase from some 11% in the early 1990’s to hovering near the 50% marker amongst just adults now in the year 2024.

In a moment of time in which we see a visible plummet in work-ethic, national pride, and self control among many other things in addition to those previously mentioned, where do we go from here?

In today’s world, within the United States specifically, as unfortunate as it may be, to act out as a radical is to pursue a life filled with faith in God and to profess it proudly. To have children and to marry for eternity rather than within a window of convenience. To treat your body as a temple, rather than a dumping ground. To take pride in your work. To pledge allegiance to this beautiful country we call home. To stand firm in your beliefs, to walk with courage and conviction. To seek sovereignty in all that you do. To build a legacy and to leave this world a better place than when you entered it.

What makes it radical? The fact that it’s exactly what the masses are so clearly not pursuing.

In what should be the bedrock of our national stability, we now find a challenge for ourselves (speaking for myself as a man in his early 20’s) to live out precisely what I had laid out just now. To chase my faith. To traverse this life with my wife until my final breaths and to grow a family in the process. To pour into my physical health daily. To protect and to provide. To never lose sight of the beauty within this country and its founding principles. To plant my stake in the ground for all that I believe in and to do everything within my power to leave something worthwhile behind for the generations behind me.

Call me radical – this is the path I’m choosing to take.

I urge you to do the same.

Forge on.

Audio Version of this blog post:

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