Mature manhood holds values and goals dear and gladly does whatever it takes in the meantime to protect and achieve what’s important. Losing fathers willing to suffer now for rewards later has gravely wounded America. Let’s correctly identify what’s gone wrong and be committed to sacrificing for the future as well as passing on that commitment to our sons and younger men around us.

America’s lack of faithfulness in family things carries into to the voting booth creating our ruling class of professional politicians. These incumbents are rarely held accountable to anyone that isn’t writing checks to fund their next reelection. Recognizing our weakness and the temptation of power requires examining those running for office during primaries, not just holding our noses and choosing the least damaging option in November.

Our marketplace is full of goods, services and experiences where authenticity and excellence are traded for pursuit of money over value. A friend who once worked at America’s original automaking giant complained of 1990’s boardroom decisions that saved a few cents on every transmission with cheaper metal. Trading profit now for value later boosted stock portfolios until it sacrificed the entire brand’s reputation. Another man who retired from a famous Pennsylvania candy factory shared about executives in the same era using fillers to slowly trim chocolate purchases. This month, the grandson of inventor of America’s most popular Halloween candy publicly condemned the corporation that now owns the brand. In an open letter, he accuses them of replacing the only two ingredients (milk chocolate and peanut butter) with cheap, inedible substitutes. The switch wasn’t noticeable at first but after decades, it’s obvious.

Whether bad government sacrificing the nation’s future or poor business decisions reducing quality of life for employees and customers, the antidote is the same. Raise up fathers who think of others more highly than themselves. Cultivate a culture that celebrates men who care more about younger and weaker members of society. Raise men who keep the main thing, the main thing. Sometimes big money follows as a side benefit of building a reputation of doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. And even if great wealth doesn’t follow, you will still live life of which you and others can be proud. As Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches.” The Bible remains undefeated.