5/8/15

I’ve been in Singapore and the Philippines for the last ten days. It has been a demanding time of speaking, meetings and media. I’m grateful, though. My admiration for this part of the world is several decades old and I cherish every moment I am allowed in these lands.What has stirred me most on this trip are the young men. Everywhere I go I meet intelligent, gifted, curious, young men who are eager to make their mark upon the world. I know that young lions of this kind exist most everywhere, but here in Asia—and in a number of other countries I work in regularly—the young and young males in particular are a rising and even revolutionary force.

Much of this is due to sheer demographics. While the western world is aging rapidly—the average age in the U.S. is 37, in England it’s 40—many non-Western nations are surprisingly, refreshingly young. For example, here in the Philippines where I am now, the average age is 22. I see this on the streets every day, feel it in every cultural expression. The twenty-somethings are transforming this country by challenging and reworking nearly every convention.

It is similar to what I’ve seen in Iraq. There, the average age is 20. In my beloved Iraqi Kurdistan in the north of the country, nearly half the population is in its teens.

What this promises is change and no one is aware of this like the young themselves, young men in particularly. They nearly crackle with a sense of destiny and have the future ever on their minds.

The tragedy, of course, is that many of these men are unfathered and without masculine examples and mentors. It is both an opportunity and an epidemic. Untethered, unfathered, angry young men are causing much of the destruction in the world today. I’ve said many times in interviews that the evil, murderous force called ISIS is an example of what happens when disillusioned young males are offered an angry cause—and an excuse for violence.

All of this makes me even more eager to impact men around the world and to help set them on a course toward noble, righteous, awe-inspiring manhood. It can be done. I’m seeing that wonderful repositioning every day here in Asia.

If you want to be part of this great work, then take stock of what is possible in your region. What can your company, your church, your community of men do? Don’t hesitate to contact us. We are devoted to igniting the fires of manhood in a new generation. Let’s do it together. And don’t forget to log into GreatMan.US. You’ll find much to help you there.

Have a good weekend. And much love to all the mothers out there.

Stephen