Get Busy

We at Men of the West have been advocating for a return to traditional Western Cultural ideals. Of course, every single one of our authors, editors, and admins has been doing this for years. Some of us did it individually, and some of us have participated in groups. No matter how we approached this task, we all decided that it was something that had to be done.
Understand that we would all love to be able to do other things. We take up this responsibility because it must be done. We do not do it for money or fame. In fact, we all do this on our own time, as we all have jobs and other responsibilities, as well. We make no money from our Men of the West activities, and we do not expect to ever do so. Fame? We do not even use our real names, for crying out loud. If you never know who we are in real life, that is just fine and dandy with us, because none of this is about us.
From our Purpose and Mission statement, we are all about building up “a community of like minded men who worship Jesus Christ. To unify them across Christendom to steel them against the barbarians who are either at the gates, or already inside them. We will celebrate, defend, and expand Western Civilization and the values and traditions that created it.”
In my inaugural post here, I spoke of men who will stand in the gap for their society. Unfortunately, one of our greatest tools – the Internet – is also one of the biggest dangers. It is easy to set behind a keyboard and type up comments or articles. It is easy to post on Facebook or Twitter or Gab, and whine about the bad things we see. Of course, it is fine to point out those things, and we should do so.
Yet our task does not end there. We must do something. For our good readers, know that the men who write for this site, and who work behind the scenes, all already do things. Sure, we write and post here, but it is only indicative of real-world actions we take. We do not stop with writing, as that is only a beginning. We actually do things, and we want you to do things, too.
Without a doubt, we cannot all do the same things. We all have talents and skills that are unique to us, and you may not be able to do what I do, and vice versa. That is fine. Do what you can do. Don’t look at the world around you and just complain. Use that dissatisfaction to prompt changes, both in your personal life, in your family, and in your community.
With that in mind, here are a few things you can do:
1.     Homeschool your children. Let me be perfectly clear. If you have your children in public schools, you are abusing them. I know that you will say that schools may be bad in general, “but my school is different…” NO IT IS NOT. The entire system is corrupted. From the top down, public education is a disaster. This does not mean that every individual teacher is a bad person, but simply that the very essence of the American public school system is counterproductive to Western Culture. The education of your children is not the responsibility of principals, teachers, or any other person besides YOU.
I realize that this might be a hardship for you. Tough. Deal with it. Find a way. If you are not sure how to go about homeschooling, use the Internet to your advantage, and do some research. No matter what, get your children out of the public schools and bring them home. While you are researching how to effectively educate your children, have them read a book. I promise you that you will do a better job, even when you blunder, than the public system will. If you do nothing else, homeschool.
For state-specific information, visit the HSLDA. I would encourage you to join that organization. There are also state organizations that you could investigate. Most of these (including HSLDA) will offer legal help, if that ever becomes necessary. If you are a member and are approached by local school officials, this legal protection can be important.
2.     Develop your knowledge and skills with firearms. Learn how to shoot, if you do not already know how. Look in your local area and find a firearms instructor, if needed. The NRA has lots of opportunities in most regions. There are other organizations, as well. Again, do some research, find your local opportunities, and learn to be proficient at firearms.
Every single member of the Men of the West is an expert at one or more type of firearms. We have skilled shooters, no matter if it is with handguns, rifles, or shotguns.
This ability will give you several benefits, including the ability to more effectively protect yourself and your family, as well as give you another avenue for getting food, if you find yourself in a situation where going to the store is not possible or desirable (societal uproar, natural disaster, etc.).
3.     Learn hand-to-hand combat techniques. You may choose to learn a martial art. Several of our number are highly trained in various martial arts, from Tae Kwon Do to Systema. You might learn boxing. Again, this is a great way to be able to provide personal protection for you and your loved ones.
4.     Get in shape. Face it, Americans are fat, lazy, and soft. It is long past time that we got serious about our health. We have addressed this directly on these pages with our “Beast Life” articles. Read those, and follow the suggestions. Lift weights. Eat properly. Lose weight and build muscle. Develop your endurance. Take care of your body. Not only will you enhance your strength, you will find additional health benefits, from lower risk of disease to increased energy. You will look better too.
5.     Study economics. Learn how money works. The offal that we are fed from our country’s economic authorities is usually less than worthless. Do not trust that drivel. Learn this yourself.  While I do not always agree with all the political positions of the Mises folks, their economic understanding is top notch. They have many free resources that you can use to grow your knowledge. Use them. Read Mises, Rothbard, and the other great economists that are provided there.
6.     Get involved with other like-minded men. Whether you do that in person, with folks in your area, or in a virtual relationship, it is important that you learn to work with others. As scripture teaches us, man sharpens man, just as iron sharpens iron. You might be amazed at the epic discussions the members of Men of the West have had with one another. They can get heated on occasion. We do not always agree on every detail, and we are all pretty confident in our positions, so we have to be able to back up what we say with one another. Even when we disagree, we learn from each other, and are improved with our interaction.
I would encourage you to find others in your area, if possible. It is always good to have local folks you can rely on, when times get tough. Developing a community of men who support Western Culture is important. You might also consider groups like Oath Keepers.  There are some fine groups out there, in your area, doing something. Join them.
7.     Make your own contributions. Maybe you can teach other people, regarding skills you have. You might notice that we even have a “how to sharpen an axe with a file” article here. That is a simple, but useful skill. You might begin your own website dedicated to your particular skills and/or knowledge. You might conduct training classes in your own local area. Use your imagination.
8. Get involved in your local church. We saved the most important for last. If there is one thing that we hope men in our society will learn, it is that church is important. Our Western Culture is dependent upon a Christian worldview. If you are not a Christian, we encourage you to consider it. Do not just be a “stay at home” Christian. Get involved.
There is no doubt that leftists  have infiltrated many of our religious bodies. So what? If they can infiltrate and make changes, so can we. There may be some hostility towards your traditional views, but endure. It took the leftists the better part of a century to ruin some formerly great places of worship. It may take us a while to reclaim them. But reclaim them we must.
You may find a local church that you fit into nicely. That is even better. You won’t have all those same fights, but can influence other men to lay claim to their Western Heritage, as found in Christianity.
All in all, the goal is to move. Do something productive. Do not just sit around and moan and complain about how bad things are. Do something to fix the problems. Take the first step, and then the next. Firmly entrench yourself in Western Culture and help others to do the same. We simply do not have any other choice.
Know also that we here at Men of the West are dedicated to helping you in your journey. We are scattered across the world, and if we can help you, we will. We do not mind meeting with folks in person, if that is logistically possible. If not, we are here in the virtual world to offer encouragement, advice, and support. You can let us know in the comments on our posts of any questions or needs you have. If you have specific topics that you would like to see addressed in a column, let us know. We will consider it.
Start today. Decide on one thing that you can do, and then act on it. Once you have that task in hand, move to another. Before long, you will find yourself a solid Man of the West, and we will warmly welcome you into our ranks.