KEEP DOING HARD THINGS
Regardless of where you served within the Regiment, you undoubtedly heard the quote, “Hard times don’t last, hard men do!” There is great truth in this statement! As the Spiritual Fitness Director for Three Rangers Foundation, one of my goals is to motivate our mentors to embrace total fitness (spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional). I realize many of us are old and broke. I seldom talk to an old Ranger who is not suffering from some level of physical disability. However, we are all still Rangers and Rangers Do Hard Things! No one gets a pass. There are still things we can and should do daily to keep ourselves fit!
Doing hard things requires discipline. There are few groups of men on planet Earth more disciplined than Rangers. The author of the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament has some wise words on discipline. Most of the fathers on here can likely relate to these words. We discipline those we love! In Hebrews chapter 12, verses 7-11, it says--
7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline—which all receive—then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness. 11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
I am not naïve. Few of us have the physical ability to still Ranger like we once did on active duty. However, you must still push yourself and train yourself. Linkup with an old Ranger Buddy for a hike and an overnight camping trip. Do some self-discipline through prayer and fasting. If you can't run--go for a walk. If you can't walk, go for a swim! Get a little wet, tired, and uncomfortable. I promise it is good for the soul! You might be separated from the Regiment, but you are not separated from the Ranger Creed! The Creed demands that you keep yourself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight!
I recently saw the article copied and pasted below in the 2/75 Signal Group Thread. The author is unknown, but I think the author is speaking to all of us as 75th Ranger veterans. The hard times we shared in the Regiment are what made us the men we are today. I did not write the message below--I wish I did though, as it says exactly what I am trying to say!
Modern men are easy to kill.
Not just physically – though that's certainly true. Two flights of stairs leave many gasping. But I mean something deeper. Most men today can be killed by:
Mean words
Harsh weather
Missed meals
Social disapproval
Minor discomfort
Our ancestors would be horrified. They built civilizations in harsh conditions, fought wars, survived plagues, and crossed oceans with minimal provisions. They were hard to kill. Being hard to kill isn't about being tough. It's about being resilient. Antifragile. Getting stronger when things get harder. The ancient Spartans had a word for this: agoge. It meant not just education, but forging. Like steel in fire, they believed men had to be hammered into shape. Comfort was the enemy of strength. Your great-grandfather understood this. He didn't need motivation to work. He didn't need perfect conditions to start. He didn't need validation to continue. He simply did what needed to be done.
Modern men have lost this art. We've become:
Physically soft
Mentally weak
Spiritually fragile
Emotionally unstable
We've traded resilience for comfort. Strength for safety. Glory for guarantee.
How to Be Hard to Kill:
1. Physical Hardening
Train in all weather
Fast regularly
Sleep on hard surfaces
Take cold showers
Walk everywhere possible
2. Mental Toughening
Read difficult books
Learn new skills
Embrace silence
Practice discomfort
Face your fears
3. Spiritual Strengthening
Daily discipline
Regular prayer
Extended fasting
Moral courage
Standing alone
4. Emotional Fortitude
Accept criticism
Face conflict
Bear pain
Control anger
Resist pleasure
Your ancestors didn't need motivational quotes. They needed grit. They didn't have comfort. They had a purpose! They weren't hard to kill because they were special. They were hard to kill because they had to be. You don't have to be. That's the problem. Comfort has made you easy to kill. Easy to discourage. Easy to defeat. Easy to control.
The solution isn't complicated:
Do hard things daily
Embrace discomfort
Seek challenge
Welcome struggle
Love difficulty
A man who can't be killed by discomfort can't be controlled by pleasure. A man who can't be killed by pain can't be stopped by fear. A man who can't be killed by opposition can't be defeated by weakness. Your ancestors built our civilization because they were hard to kill. Your descendants will need you to be the same. Start today. Do something hard. Then do it again tomorrow. Become the man who can't be killed by comfort. History belongs to such men.
Happy Thanksgiving--now go do something hard!
RLTW!
Dan Knight