Embrace Being A Good Man Over A Great One | Episode 152

In this episode, Cartwright Morris and Bo Morgan discuss the intersection of social media, politics, and personal growth, particularly focusing on the distinction between being a good man and a great man. They explore how societal pressures and political discourse can create anxiety and division, emphasizing the importance of humility, kindness, and personal influence in everyday life. The conversation highlights the need for men to focus on their immediate relationships and responsibilities rather than getting lost in the chaos of political debates and social media.

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Takeaways

The importance of personal updates in life transitions.
Navigating the complexities of social media and politics.
The distinction between good men and great men.
Influence should be focused on immediate relationships.
Everyday acts of kindness are crucial for personal growth.
Politics often creates anxiety and division among people.
Embracing the tension of life is essential for growth.
Caring for our immediate circle is a priority.
The ends do not justify the means in moral discussions.
Choosing good is fundamental to combating evil.


Titles

Navigating Life's Changes: Personal Updates and Reflections
The Intersection of Social Media and Politics


 sound bites

"Politics creates anxiety and division."
"Good men hold up a mirror for us."
"The ends do not justify the means."


Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Updates
03:36 Navigating Social Media and Politics
06:33 The Good Man vs. Great Man Debate
09:00 The Role of Influence and Responsibility
11:54 Everyday Acts of Kindness vs. Greatness
14:39 The Impact of Politics on Personal Lives
17:25 The Burden of Social Media Expectations
20:19 Finding Balance in Political Engagement
23:47 Manipulation in Politics and Relationships
30:06 The Politics of Self-Promotion
32:07 Influence vs. Strong Opinions
34:25 Navigating Core Values and Government Overreach
36:29 The Role of Christians in Politics
39:15 Balancing Family and Political Engagement
41:41 The Importance of Presence
43:58 Real Leverage in Personal Relationships
45:57 The Shift in Political Commentary
49:25 Maturity in Political Convictions
52:25 The Impact of Political Actions
56:01 Choosing Good Over Political Ends

Transcript

Cartwright Morris: Back in the saddle. I've got my adult jeans on. Yeah those are very adult. I some more adult jeans. My last adult jeans got holes on them. They're a bit tight. that sounds very British. This is a bit tight. They're a bit tight but it's funny I asked Carly this morning I was like hey are these okay? I look more stylish than creepy right? She goes she's like, yeah, don't loosen out through the day. I was like, okay, they are tight, whatever. well, hey everybody, welcome to Men Are Forged This is our first time recording in about a few weeks. And for the main reason is because Cartwright's got a life update for us. Yeah. So my son, number two, was born January 28th. 1130 at night. So sorry about two weeks. Yeah, man, he's two weeks old yesterday. That is wild, yeah. Which is actually kind of an important date. My wife is really excited. I am too. It's just, guys, we're just not important dates. January 28th is the day me and my wife met. So, he came in right like 28 minutes before the 29th. So, shoot, we were all very excited. So, yeah. Congrats, man. 20, he's 20 inches. He was born 20 inches. Seven I mean everybody that's you know wanna say seven pounds, 14 ounces. Seven pounds, 14 ounces. Healthy boy, eating, sleeping, pooping, doing all the things. Sleeping pretty good apparently, right? Gosh, yeah. But I don't, you know, sometimes I wanna, I don't wanna say it's too loud, but, or knock on wood, man, but it's been wild. He'll make up for it. Oh yeah, that's the thing. It all comes back around. If it's not one thing with a kid, there's another. He'll get you in a few months. Yeah. Well, that's awesome, man. Congrats. And hey, also too, so Eli's one year old today. Man, yeah, one year. One year old today, which is... I mean, how has it been a year? Yeah, exactly. It doesn't even... I don't know, I hadn't really sat in yet, but we're doing like, we got a birthday party this weekend. All right. The first one's a big one. That we're cleaning up the house for. Yeah. Carly and I have our plan for each night. This is what needs to be accomplished. Uh, and so we started last night. Um, well, I'll say that loosely. We, we said we were going to start last night and it didn't really, but that's okay. We're going to get it done. Um, but yeah, so we've got a few things going on. Um, thanks everybody for joining us. Uh, this is the Mentor Forge podcast. I'm Bo Morgan, this is Cartwright Morris. And man, we love talking about things that Christian men in their 20s and 30s struggle with daily. we love talking about the tension and different truths that are in the Bible and things that we wrestle with on a daily basis. And so really today, I'm excited about this one because Cartwright, so we talked on the phone yesterday. And Cartwright really, he teed up a little bit about what we're going to talk about. And then I went and looked at it some more. And I think it's just super important for guys, especially our age, to kind of understand and get a perspective. But really it's a topic around social media and politics and how they don't work. And then also kind of in cahoots with that good man versus great man. and how kind of that all wraps together. So yeah, anyway, you can get a start on that. Yeah, yeah, think. Yeah, I don't want this show to be political, but political does just, there is so much, because political has gotten, has become so, moved into such the realm of theology and philosophy and tried to impact those worlds in recent history that, you know, feel like, you know, we kind of have to if we're really talking to... Really wanting to help people today because it does shape some of our thoughts and in mind. It's everywhere man. Yeah, our phones. It's on the TV. Yeah, it's everywhere you look. Yeah, so how can you not talk about it? Yeah, it's And so I did want to read this verse because I think at best I feel like this is what we want to be for you Whoever's out there listening of like so Proverbs 12 25 anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad out. You know, I think that sums up a lot of my ministry. It was like a lot of what I do is there's this anxiety brought to the table. And what you get in return is that word that makes your heart go, yeah, somebody sees me, knows me. And so I hope out there as we have some of these discussions, I did want to just kind of promote that and think, you know, the Proverbs 12, 25. So, and I hope that this kind of, I feel like this connects within because politics does create some anxiety. I know some of us scrolling on social media and Or you know even X that you just kind of go. Is there any solution to these problems? you know and people just going back and forth and yelling and It's just it's not solving anything. It's just making people more entrenched and you know you realize that you feel like there's this few powers out there that are really instigating this to keep us at odds, keep us divided, keep us thinking binary thought that we're not living in the nuance of life. Because it is so nuanced. It's not one thing or the other. People that are unwilling to embrace the tension of this are the ones who are really going, who are not living a fruitful life that are probably the most angry and frustrated. You really have to embrace some tension in, especially the political realm, but most people aren't. because that's not what gets votes or gains power. Anyway, so I was on X speaking of that recently had some times in some midst of feedings and so or late nights It was about the Minnesota stuff and ICE and all that. this take is, I think, not right or left here, because what I was really frustrated by was two conservative commentators who both went up there and saw all the horrific stuff But they said, man, I wish Christians had as much passion and conviction as some of these protesters here up in Minnesota protesting ICE. And in my mind, I'm like... What? let's make, let's maybe be critical of how Christians need to be more willing to step out in ways, but like, that's not how God designed our brains. if we're getting into the whole context of like, I think. A lot of what I do with Help Men is integrating their faith at their work that there was this separation of church and state of, the really passionate people, the ones willing to go to China and Africa to be missionaries. It's like, what? That's nonsense. There's orphans. There's people who need Jesus who even claim to know Jesus. what does that look like? And I think that really got me in the thought process of like, and I've even had the tagline with the show of helping young men become great men. It's like, I want all men, I think should become great leaders because we all have some level of leadership and responsibility with those in our care, whether it's family, in an organization or in a community, right? But. I don't know if really this show is gonna be about, and this could be a controversial take, it's really about making, helping you men out there become great men. I want you to be good men. you know, what is, you know, and that's where I've really been kind of processing, thinking through. It's like, and I had this thought where great men maybe inspire us to be better, to grow, to pursue and to challenge us. But then I feel like good men hold up a mirror for us. It's like. you know that contrast of like they hold up the mirror of like man am I showing up for the people in my life? Am I putting up boundaries that communicate a higher yes to my people and my values? Like am I willing to really... Yeah, I don't know, just there's things, you know, I wrote some stuff down about it because I was like, I really want to identify what is there between a good man and a great man. Like the, because I would say most great leaders that we have throughout history to aspire to are the reluctant ones, meaning they're they're good men that were pulled into. That's a point. You know, because I think what we've seen. especially in recent history, is probably a lot of great men who really could we aspire to be and we get excited about whether it's the conference speakers or the mega church pastors or the CEO types, all those people, like they've had some level of moral failings. that we've seen or some level of like they've missed the part of the greatness of being a good man. Yeah well I think that so part of that I agree because when I hear you because hearing you explain it my mind immediately goes to I'm trying. So if I want to be a great man, then that really, I associate that with all those people you're talking about, the people that have that public visibility. And it's like, so now it doesn't become so much about the attributes of being a great man. becomes, how do I get a platform to show that I'm a great man, which is just in its nature ego. And so it's almost like, you know, if you try to do that, you end up opening the door to so many. So it's kind of like, it's kind of like the enemy's being like, Yeah, try to do that. You know, I'm gonna veer you off course because it takes you away from what you're really responsible for Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and I think that's you know, you know, maybe oh, you know, some of y'all heard me read Tolkien I mean, this is a great line from Tolkien that I think really hits his philosophy and theology You know, this is Gandalf talking is some some believe it is only great power that can hold evil and check That that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay small acts of kindness and love yeah like that that belief if more men had that belief that belief of man if I am you know constantly choosing those closest to me over some level of greatness. If I am desire to be humble yet confident, humble in that I know who I am not and I'm comfortable with that, but yet I'm confident in who God made me to be, you know, and you know, those who are very hopeful for a better future, but more than that, they're faithful. What God has already given, they want to steward that well. Like that, those mindsets in my mind is what makes a good man, which makes it, we need more of those than we need the great awe inspire. commanding audiences, right? You know, I think even Jesus understood that concept. He already knew, I he was beyond a great man, you know, he was Jesus, right? But for 30 years, he, you know, he lived as a carpenter's son. Like, he understood that part of developing character, understanding, being a trustworthy person in people's hearts and minds, that, developing those relationships, finding where, you know, I love Luke 2 52, like, like he grew in favor with God and man, right? But then there's a part that says, you know, and his mother treasured those times in her heart. It's like, oh, before he even became the guy, became the, you know, Jesus, right? The way he three years of his ministry, where he was doing all these works, where his mother, those first 30 years, she treasured those moments. You know? Are we dismissing those times where we're... having that hidden season because we think it's all about the recognition, we think it's all about the influence and growth and all that that we, you know, and it's just an interesting concept that like, what looks like to be a great Christian man. that these guys are talking about on social is laying in front of traffic and yelling at people and trying to beat up federal officers. you're like, that's not what defines me as a follower of Jesus. But you know, you've heard this a bunch. The word Christian is used three times in the New Testament. And I think like only like once or twice it's actually used in a good connotation. But the follower of Jesus or disciple of Jesus is used, I want to say like 150. Yeah. Like, so like this concept of like, you know, we got to be good Christians and we got to be willing to, you know. Lay down in front of traffic and go in the cold and scream at people and you're like, huh? Yeah, it's like no what it really means. I think going back again off. It's like it's an ordinary acts It's the everyday choosing. Okay, this is hard like you have a one-year-old I got a two-week-old and two-year-old like every day choosing them choosing to love them Even though they tick me off or I have lack of sleep those ordinary acts where I'm building these young boys into men Where I'm choosing them. I'm choosing to love my wife see her in the midst of even her struggle like that that's a good that though when we have more of those guys Like there's no, what can evil do? Right? You know, being true to ourselves, being true to our values and the people in our life. just, anyway, that, anyway, I maybe rant over for now. No, it's true. Yeah. It's kind of, well, in order to, know, at least the line in my mind is, and where I'm packing it is. So maybe like a coaching moment that we can have together. It's like, well, in order to be a great man, where's this great influence that I have? Who are the people listening to me? This wonderful, wonderful person that has all this insight. And I think that's where guys are age in their twenties and thirties. mean, how could we not think that that's what we mean by that? Because it's what's portrayed on every social media posts and every, podcasts that you listen to. It's like, How can I get like in order for me to be great? can have a really big audience and I have all this influence when really it's One of what influence do you have today? Right like where's my leverage today? My leverage today is with my wife and my one-year-old son You know my immediate family or whatever like in my work Yeah, exactly so like what am I doing with that? And I think that's kind of what you mean, right? Is that kind what you're talking about? yeah. mean, we don't have to have a title in a sense. I mean, we have a title as a father and a husband, right? There's those titles. But I mean, even a title in the sense of like there's people you're impacting every day. Are you choosing to embrace that or they're just they're not good enough because they can't get me where I really want. And to go back and I guess the point of like politics or even Influence with social media. I mean I feel that tension that you know, because it's like yeah I want to grow what I do. I want to Do more I want to