The "No One" Problem

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“No one ever told me that.”

“No one ever taught me.”

“No one showed me the right way to do it.”

“No One” has left many young men alone to figure out the world on their own.

The Family Circus cartoonist Bil Keane had great insight into human behavior. Some of my favorite cartoons are when mom or dad asks the kids who did a naughty act. Of course, everyone would answer, “Not Me.”

Keene would go one step further and make a little, mischievous ghost named “Not Me” sneak out of the panel. Like the one below.

“Everybody’s Business Is Nobody’s Business.”

Relegate the formation of men to collective entities like “culture,” “educational system,” or “society” and you get a messy nothingness. Why…no accountability.

I live in a village in Africa and Hillary Clinton’s “It Takes A Village” metaphor misses some massively important things about village life. Village life has layers and layers of formal and informal accountability in the web of relationships.

Do For One What You Wish You Could Do For All

“So, Jared…I know you want me to be a role model for boys and other men. But, I’m just a normal guy. How do you expect me to do it?”

Just choose one.

Choose one guy and do one thing with him regularly. Be a friend and tell stories. That’s it.

If you doubt the power of one, listen to the beginning of this sermon by Andy Stanley. It’s how Andy and his wife felt called to help a particular drug addict. He did not help all of the drug addicts in Atlanta but look at what can happen when we serve one person.

Of course, you are in the right place to get ideas for serving men in this newsletter!

Feel free to recommend it to other men.