In this episode, Stephen interviews retired Air Force Colonel Tom Ruby on some hard fought wisdom he has acquired throughout his life and career.

Rubes' Maxims/Show Highlights:

1. Goodness Breeds Goodness - Why is it important to act for the good of others (and yourself)?
2. Seek Balance in Life - How do we overcome the temporary nature of so many areas of our life and focus on a longer-termed, balanced lifestyle?
3. Truth Doesn’t Change Based on the Rank of the Recipient - Why must we always tell the truth, even if it has undesirable consequences?
4. Focus on the Mission - Why carrying out our goals requires us to keep the mission in mind and dutifully tackle all the minutiae.
5. If You Have to Eat a Frog, Staring at it Won’t Make It Go Down Easier - Why must we confront difficult issues head on?
6. Iron Sharpens Iron - The importance of challenging ourselves as leaders and men for personal and professional growth.
7. Bloom Where You’re Planted - Why do we need to put energy into the present instead of focusing completely on the future.
8. They Can’t Say No If You Don’t Ask - One of the only ways to get what you want is to ask those that can give it to you.
9. You Can Never Go Back - A sad truth about life that we all must master as we mature.

About Tom:

Tom is a retired Air Force Colonel with 26 years of active duty experience and the CEO of Bluegrass Critical Thinking Solutions. He is widely published and speaks globally on topics including critical thinking, leadership, strategy, and morality in warfare.

Connect with Tom:
Twitter: (@bgcts)
Website

In this episode, Stephen sits down with Stained Glass Zealot, one of the foremost members of the Twitter Aesthetics-Sphere to discuss the importance of beauty and the positive benefits men get from surrounding themselves with beautiful things.

Show Highlights:
– Why beauty matters?
– A good heuristic for appreciating beautiful things.
– The problem with progress and linear history.
– Why you should read The Decline and Fall of Western Art.
– The oppressive nature of ugliness in art and architecture.
– Why we need to start focusing on long-term and eternal things.
– The beauty of fractal patterns.
– The relationship between beauty and our thoughts and the state of our soul.
– Why you need to curate your timeline.
– How contemplating beauty can change you.
– How can we reclaim beauty in the public sphere?
– Learning to be humble through the appreciation of the art of our ancestors.
– If you want to RETVRN to tradition, you need to surround yourself with the knowledge of the past.
– How our ancestors aesthetics had values and morals embedded in them.
– Why does a religious worldview lead to more beautiful aesthetics?

Patron-Exclusive Content:

We live in a world full of ugliness – there’s no doubt about that. As beauty continues to recede from our life, many young men have been asking about how we can begin to reintroduce it and surround ourselves with it.

On our patron-only question, Stained Glass Zealot answers a question from patron Sean R. on how we can do just this and explains the concept of Lindy, which can be a useful tool for reducing the modernist ugliness that crowds so many areas of our life.

References:
Madonne Assise by William Adoplhe Bougereau

Connect with Stained Glass Zealot:
Twitter: (@glass_zealot)
Instagram
Substack

In this episode, Stephen and Brian interview Dr. Andrew Montanaro, a professor of Sacred Scripture at Christendom College in Front Royal, VA on the subject of Biblical Masculinity, growing in wisdom, and what the Book of Sirach can tell us about living manfully.

Show Highlights:

• Why we need to give everything to God.
• How boys and men get left behind, and how Scripture can call them to greatness.
• Examples of great men in the Bible.
• What does spiritual readiness look like?
• Why men should study the Wisdom Literature.
• How do Biblical lessons apply to 21st century men?
• What the Book of Sirach/Wisdom of Sirach can teach us about wisdom, masculinity, and family life.
• What can we learn from Ben Sira's mission?
• How proper education includes both teaching and demonstrating information/wisdom.
• Father-Son language in the Book of Sirach.
• How gaining wisdom requires discipline.
• Why you should make your family like a school.
• Was Ben Sira's project successful?
• Why we need to think long term in our goals.

Exclusive Patron Content:

On our patron-only question, Andrew discusses how we can use the wisdom from the Book of Sirach (as well as the other wisdom literature and the Bible as a whole) to live more meaningfully masculine lives in the modern world.

Sign up for our Socrates Tier at $5/month for access to this and more!

About Andrew:

Dr. Andrew Montanaro is an Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at Christendom College. His research interests include biblical theology, the transmission and use of Scripture in pedagogy, masculinity, wisdom literature, and ancient languages.

Keep in Touch with Andrew:

Website