‘The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure’. These are the words of Christopher McCandless, an adventurer par excellence. Maybe the cryptic words of ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody about his father, sum up our quest for adventure as men better than anything else: ‘But the love for adventure was in my father’s blood’.
As men, we are all born for adventure and risk taking, “Wait a second, we don’t want any risks Warwick. Haven’t you heard about Occupational Work and safety? You are behind the times Warwick, we must live our lives in cotton wool and bubble wrap. We can’t afford to take risks! And we must make our children do the same!”
Herein lies the problem. Men were made for adventure, but in today’s highly feminised society, men are forbidden to take risks. They are never encouraged to explore the unknown, which is where the risks begin.
If we follow such reasoning, Captain Cook would never have left Great Britain to discover the east coast of Australia, nor would men have gone to the moon. Dynamite would not have been invented, nor would we be flying planes in the air, floating giant boats in the sea or under the sea as submarines. Every great discovery has had a measure of risk associated with it, and men, in almost all those cases, have been at the forefront of such adventurous and discovery activities.
We need to turn to a woman blind from birth, Helen Keller, to explore this further.
Helen Keller knew more about adventure than most men and certainly more than our current risk adverse society. To quote Helen Keller, ‘Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men, as a whole, experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing’. Perhaps Andre Gide’s wisdom will inspire us on the journey, ‘It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding themselves’.
The computer games that most men and boys enjoy are merely virtual adventures, not real at all. How much better to get out into the real world and as Norm once said, ‘Life Be in it’? In other words, the best adventure is a real adventure, not a make believe one.
For me one of the best decisions I ever made was going on a 12 month adventure around Australia with my family in 1990. Whether it was crossing crocodile infested rivers, or watching miners set a dynamite charge in a mine at Coober Pedy, or maybe it was coming across snakes in the outback or climbing Uluru. It was all exciting. The whole year was one huge adventure from beginning to end. One that the big kids (yours truly) and the little kids enjoyed to the nth degree.
Why am I telling you these stories?
I want to introduce you to the man behind ‘Fathering Adventures’. His name is Darren Lewis and his life’s purpose is to bring Dads and their children (both sons and daughters) together in true blue Aussie adventures like white water rafting, scuba diving, snorkelling, kayaking, jungle exploring and a host of other activities beyond the comprehension of the average suburban man.
Darren’s favourite saying is: “Not every successful man is a good father. But every good father is a successful man.” (R. Duvall) Fathering Adventures Mission is, ‘Fathering with Purpose – Fulfilled Children – Stronger Relationships, Families, & Communities’.
I asked Darren to send me some feedback on the “Prepared for Manhood” 5 Night Father-Son Adventure.
As requested, please find an excerpt from a recent email I sent out to fathers who’ve brought their teenage sons along to one of our previous “Prepared for Manhood” 5 Night and 4 Night Father-Son Adventure experiences in Tropical North Queensland and NSW respectively, in the hope that they may have other sons who might be ready to join us this September.
It includes some one-liners from some of the fathers and from some of the sons, which you may find helpful in your Frontline about the quest for adventure.
We recently returned home after our sold out July 1-6, 2017 “Prepared for Manhood” 5 Night Father-Son Adventure experience in Tropical North Queensland, for boys, young men, & mature-age men, aged 13 years & over – no maximum age limit, and their Dads or significant male others.
While they are always loads of fun, thanks largely to all of the world-class outdoor adventure activities on offer, I never get tired of seeing the growth in all of the sons, and the fathers, throughout our week together. And last week was no different. Here is some of the feedback from some of the fathers:
- “A lot like a stone thrown into a pond, this experience will not disappear. It will ripple on and on and on.” (Michael – Aged 49 years)
- “This experience has constructed a meaningful & masculine relationship with my son, and we enjoyed the company and facilitation of a great week with like-minded fathers & sons.” (Geoff – Aged 47 years)
- “These experiences have been significant in terms of assisting me to develop my sons into strong and sound men.” (Stephen – Aged 46 years)
- “This experience meant much more than I had anticipated. The realization that many of us Dads had never been given true guidance or advice, spending time in a community of good men, spending time with my son, learning, learning, learning, and the closing ceremony on the final evening.” (Gavin – Aged 45 years)
- “This experience meant a lot to me. Coming a second time after my previous experience that was such a life defining moment… The moment we arrived, I felt my son open his heart, speak to me, confide in me, and work together for the whole week. It reaffirmed my previous experience, and exceeded all of my expectations… again.” (Daniel – Aged 44 years)
- “This experience is so much more than just 5 / 6 days with my son… but a time to reflect on being a man, what it is not, and how special and significant authentic manhood really is!” (Jonathon – Aged 41 years)
And some of the sons:
- “This experience has given me the chance to connect with my Dad and enable us to create a strong and healthy relationship with one another. And although whitewater rafting and scuba diving were fantastic, my favourite memory will be the time spent with my Dad, and many other authentic men.” (Nathan – Aged 16 years)
- “This experience has given me the opportunity to spend quality time with only my Dad, and become closer to him. It has also taught me the characteristics of a real man.” (Lorenzo – Aged 16 years)
- “This experience has meant a lot to me, because I got some one-on-one time with my Dad.” (Declan – Aged 16 years)
“This experience was a lot of fun, and also brought Dad and I closer.” (Sam – Aged 14 years) - “This experience has given me one-on-one time with my Dad, and has given me a great introduction to what it means to be a man.” (Bexter – Aged 13 years)
- “This experience has meant a lot, in building my relationship with my Dad, and becoming a young man.” (Jeremy – Aged 13 years)
Lovework
I have some good news for you. Darren still has a handful of places available on his upcoming “Prepared for Manhood” 5 Night Father-Son Adventure experience in Tropical North Queensland, September 23-28, 2017. The even better news is that a very committed Dads4Kids donor is making available a part scholarship to help reduce fees for cash strapped Dads who really want to “construct a meaningful & masculine relationship with their son and enjoy a great week of adventure with like-minded fathers & sons,” to paraphrase one of the above fathers. To get more info and book your place click here:
To have an adventure with your family and children you don’t have to go to North Queensland. Camp out in your backyard in a tent with your family and burn your marshmallows on the open fire. Your children will love you for it. Also, don’t forget the Dads & Kids Weekend Fun Camp 15-16 September 2017. An adventure laden weekend at Wollondilly River Station Bush Camp. Please email Armen at armen@adfin.com.au to let him know you are coming.
Do whatever you can, large or small, to have an adventure with your children.
Yours for more Adventure
Warwick Marsh
PS. I had a phone call yesterday from a good friend in the fatherhood movement, Ed Dabrowski. What he found out shocked even me! He rang both the Prime Minister’s office and the Leader of the Opposition’s office to ask them a question in the light of the treacherous push by certain Coalition MPs endeavouring to force a vote to redefine marriage with the support of the Labor Party.
This is the height of treason for the current Coalition Government. The Coalition, led by Turncoat Turnbull, promised the people of Australia the opportunity to have a free vote on this critical issue by a plebiscite and won office on that basis. The majority of Australians want a free vote on this extremely important issue, 46% to 39% with 15% undecided.
Sadly, when Ed Dabrowski asked the question, “Can you explain how the rights of the children to a mother and a father will be protected if marriage is redefined?” The Opposition Leader’s office controlled by Bill Shorten said that children had no right to a mother and a father. Even more sadly the Prime Minister’s office said pretty much the same thing and fobbed him off with some ridiculous dribble.
How in God’s name can these people claim to be our leaders when they refuse to recognize the obvious biological reality that it takes a mother and a father to create a child and a child has a right to a relationship with its biological mother and father? Is it any wonder that up to six men each week are killing themselves? Many of these men have been deprived access to their children by the cruel Family Law Court. What will happen when marriage is redefined? The numbers will treble!
Redefine Marriage and you destroy a child’s right to a mother and a father. Fathers have already been stripped from most birth certificates. Marriage between a man and a woman is the last domino to fall. That’s why we must make a stand for marriage for the sake of our children. Use this website to send an urgent email to your federal parliamentarians asking them to refuse such madness and protect our children because – Our children are Our future.
If you want a free faith-based service to help you construct an email to your parliamentarians, that you can personalise, please check out the Golden Sceptre. The Golden Sceptre covers other issues pertinent to family, faith and freedom. This service is free for the first two months on a trial basis. I have joined today. To register click here.
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