The Frontier is Closed

               There are no more empty spaces on the map. In man’s heart, there is a yearning for adventure. These are true 2 statements that together encapsulate a great soul malaise and death of our time. We see unprecedented withdrawal and decline of young men in our society. Young men, for all time, have been the lifeblood of society. Where they go and the passions or ills they pursue, so is the way that society will go. Today, the souls of young men drip away into a recalcitrant puddle of desolation as they drift further away from the mission and purpose they know has been imprinted upon their hearts. Man needs to devote his life to serving his ultimate purpose and embark on a noble adventure to achieve that end. The risk and danger are integral parts of this quest. Man must be tested and pushed to and beyond his limits—the men we built statues of, from President Theodore Roosevelt to Genghis Khan, showcase this fact in plain detail. Danger exists somewhere out there, and if you are brave enough, maybe you could fight it. Even greater, maybe you could beat it. Impossibly, maybe with the sweat of your brow and the strikings of your sinews, you could tame what was once wild and bring it unto order. Today, the West has been won, and it seems that these kinds of flesh-and-blood battles of man versus chaos and nature have come to an end. How did these battles end, and where are the noble causes to cast oneself upon today?

               We cannot reopen our physical frontiers, but there is a new frontier for us men to set out upon. I am not referring to the wild untouched areas that exist, such as space or technology, though these certainly are areas where so much uncharted territory is waiting for us; I am referring to the kind of frontier that any man can trek upon: Purpose. In days past, this kind of purpose was sought after in adventure and strife from men who did things. They went to foreign lands to fight, and to crush their enemies, discover things that no man had seen or done, and they struck out across barren or unforgiving landscapes to bring the candle of civilization, no matter the opposition. These virtues were celebrated and recognized for the greatness that they produced. These pioneers and explorers of old made our world. Today's institutions that claim to represent adventure, purpose, and all high ideals have substituted encounters with the unknown for a self-referential pursuit. The exploration of new lands has been replaced by a superficial exploration of one's own identity. These breakthroughs are celebrated in comfortable and beautiful spaces, adorned with relics from a past where cunning, grit, and integrity were more valuable than the modern virtue in exploration and edification of the self.  

               With no physical frontiers left to explore, society has turned to the last great mystery: the self. According to modern society, pure self-expression is the new odyssey and path to purpose. However, it is not an adequate quest for the soul of man. Modern society keeps returning to self-expression as the path the purpose because there is nowhere else to go. There are no open frontiers that any man can take a shot at; he is only left with himself as the last uncharted territory. Self-expression is chosen as the way of exploring the self because it is validating and doesn't require growth or change. This kind of radical self-expression robs man of that quest to live out something greater than himself by simply telling him to submit to his own desires and faults. This strategy offers up man’s potential by placating him with comfort. It doesn’t require sacrifice, and it is instantaneous. Self-expression is something that you can see, and it feels good, but it does not make for a purposeful existence.

               Purpose isn’t a tangible goal to be grasped, but rather the result of specific actions—living out your ideals each day. This journey aligns you with your values as you walk a path that only you can follow. As you do, you’ll feel the light and warmth of your purpose shining on you, rather than it being something you can capture. Define your ideals and the things that you want to live for; do not let others make this decision for you. That does not mean forging a new ideal, irrespective of the past, but making the great ideals your possessions as well. Others will tell you things that are expedient, but you must grasp what is real. Take ownership and accept the failures and successes in your pursuit of high values. First, you must humble yourself and let a creed define you. When your creed is set, pursue it realistically. Do not go from a sedentary life to running marathons. Take the appropriate steps in time. Improvement in weightlifting is done with progressive overload. Actions that compound, such as going to church once a week or speaking to a wiser man once per week, are tasks that are small and manageable themselves but will yield great results with consistency over time. Seek discomfort as you take these steps. When your weekly conversation with an elder is routine, find a social event to push you out of your comfort zone in the week as well. When weekly church is routine, perhaps start a scriptural study regimen. Start small, then keep adding more weight. Finally, as you progress into living out your creed, it will be critical to form a brotherhood. Perhaps there are other men on the same path as you, perhaps not. This matters little – no matter where you are and where you are going, there are men who are pursuing their own purpose who can’t do it alone either. Befriend them and together form relationships that bolster your courage and manly virtue – make the load lighter and your spirits brighter. This journey is lifelong, and its fruit will come in irregular seasons.

               Your life has a unique mission that has been etched into your soul. As the great men who came before us set order to the world and tamed a wilderness, the society that they made grows comfortable and forgets where it comes from. That pioneer spirit that made our society is not just the spark, it is the ember that burns still. Fan the flame. The purpose of your life exists, and you must dare to pursue it at all costs. There is no mythical land for you to run to anymore, where you can satisfy your yearnings for adventure with a novel challenge, albeit heroic and great. No, you are forced into the most unfortunate position of only being able to challenge the familiar, and above all, yourself. This feeling of restlessness is lethargy from not redlining the engine and using up all the gas in the tank for the crazy pursuit of your purpose in life. We are in a grand society with many rules. These rules can often restrain the heart of man, and the norms stymie his soul. You must dare to break them and to seek purpose in your life above all else. A good-paying job is a noble pursuit, especially if it supports a family that you love. What is money, and what is security if your soul always aches for more?

               It is normal that Western society is at a stage where things have become so successful that the machinery has become wholly self-propagating, in the same way that so many of the modern artists and explorer types are completely self-referential in their exploits. Comfort has become the goal. Excess has become the norm. Decadence has become the mission. Our men are being asked to strap their honor to a bad mission. Fighting for decadence and aiming for the prizes of a sick society is staying firmly planted within the borders of what you know is comfortable. From that position, you can’t strike out across the frontier, you can’t pursue the adventure of your life, and you can’t wrestle the purpose that exists for you in that journey. Make your escape and dare to go to an uncharted place. Find men who also want to journey. You find that the institutions that used to produce these men, say, great universities or clubs, no longer possess them, but instead they are churning out the self-referential hobbyists that now only exist to prop up hollowed institutions and lifestyles. Keep looking for the men who yearn for this adventure of purpose. Dare to fail and die a death of squalor and pain. Better to have your honor. If you can’t find them where you are, become the beacon for them to gather to.

               Do not forget the great wisdom that the men who came before you deliberately went into the unknown. Accept your unknowing and accept that the map no longer exists. Stop trying the same thing, stop playing the same game. The world is different, but our souls yearn for the thing that they always have. Purpose exists – you know that it does, and you know that a piece of it is carried ever-so-delicately inside your being. Self-expression of your perceived worth is not going to communicate it to anyone, especially yourself. The genuine struggle and toil of purpose will communicate your worth first to yourself and then later to all your descendants. The well-trodden path and the one where you will find your meaning are not the same. Embrace your smallness in a vast universe, and that despite your failures, you too can be great.