Ryan Michler - Sovereignty: The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Men

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Copyright 2018 by Ryan Michler

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ISBN: 9781946697912

DEDICATION

To my wife, Tricia; my sons, Brecken, Eli, and Otto; and my daughter, Vivian. I may be my own man, but I wouldnt be the man I am without you. You are the reason this is my lifes work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

The sovereignty of ones self over ones self is called liberty.

-Albert Pike

Sovereignty (noun): the quality or state of having supreme power or authority.

What is sovereignty? Perhaps its better to start by illustrating what sovereignty is not. To do that, you dont have to look very far. Take a walk around your neighborhood. Take a stroll around your office. Have a conversation with your buddies. Everywhere you look, youll find the signs of men who have neglected their responsibilities as men and, in turn, have given up their sovereignty or, in other words, the power they inherently have to control the outcome of their lives.

These men are no longer in control of their hearts and minds. Theyve traded their individual liberty and personal responsibility for a decent marriage, a steady paycheck, and a relatively painless life. In doing so, they have unknowingly enslaved themselves to their marriages, their jobs, and their governments.

The shackles they willingly submit themselves to are hard to quantify (if they were easily spotted, men wouldnt be so willing to give up their freedoms). These shackles come in the form of a marriage with potential, a fancy 401(k) and retirement package, and the promise of safety and security in exchange for just a small percentage of their paycheck.

A man who has given up his sovereignty fabricates excuses. He tells himself stories. He feeds himself lies.

All of this to justify the reality that he has given away the one thing that has the potential to allow him to be the man he is meant to be: his sovereignty.

Unfortunately, its easy to maintain the status quo. After all, the truththat we are living in a cloud of delusion magnified by a silent attack on the very traits that make us menis hard to bear.

This cloud of delusion makes everything feel real. We feel as if we command our minds, follow our heart, and take control of our bodies. We feel as if were in charge, but ultimately we are being controlled and manipulated by some outside force we cant quite seem to see or understand.

But if we look deeper, beyond the thick cloud of delusion, we already know that, dont we? We can feel it lingering in the back of our consciousness. We cant yet wrap our heads around it, but we know its there.

The first step toward sovereignty is to lift the cloud of delusion. Its not easy. Its not pleasant. But its a necessity if you have any chance of overcoming the nagging thought that your life is not your own or that you know youre destined for more but dont know quite how to wrap heart, mind, and hands around it.

This is about control. This is about ownership. This is about facing the ugly reality that you arent as good as you think you are and that the life you live today is not the one youre meant to live.

The answer to regaining control of yourself and lifting the cloud of delusion we all experience is the victory that lies only in becoming a Sovereign Man.

A SOVEREIGN MAN

A man who has battled for and reclaimed his sovereignty is a man who has decided to take ownership of his life and everything in it. This man recognizes that, although the world would have him believe otherwise, he has certain responsibilities. The only way to fully fulfill those responsibilities is to be the master of his life.

A Sovereign Man protects himself, his loved ones, and those who cannot protect themselves. He providesnot just financially, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as well. He presides in that he leads himself, his family, and his community.

It is painfully obvious that the Sovereign Man is becoming a rare breed. Take a look around society and youll see the results of a lack of Sovereign Men.

The family unit is under attack. More and more young men and women are growing up without fathers. Crime is running rampant. Businesses are failing. Leadership at every levelfrom the home to the boardroom to the city, state, and national governmentis all but nonexistent.

It seems the plague of men who are more interested in shirking their responsibilities for the path of least resistance is growing by the day, and Sovereign Men are becoming an increasing rarity.

Stepping through the cloud of delusion into the truth that you are called to be not just a man but a Sovereign Man is not an easy task. I know because Im on the battlefield with you. I have two businesses to run. I have a wife to lead with. I have four kids who require me to be the type of man to which Im referring. Add to that community service, spiritual obligations, and the endless requests for my time, and the task becomes nearly impossible.

It seems that making ends meet, keeping a roof over our heads and food on the table, coupled with the infinite number of obligations I have is never-ending. How is it possible for me to focus on myself and regain, at least to some degree, my own sovereignty?

In order to recapture your sovereignty, youre going to need to understand the first truth I want to share with you: as important as it is to fulfill your manly responsibility to others, its imperative that you learn to take care of yourself. Because, at the end of the day, a man is responsible and accountable to himself first, then to the people he has an obligation to.

And that is the essence of what it means to be a Sovereign Man: maintaining accountability and responsibility to yourself.

Unfortunately, I didnt always live my life this way.

LIFTING THE CLOUD OF DELUSION

In October 2008, I had given away my sovereignty. The result was a broken man sobbing alone in a cold, dark room of the house my wife and I had built two years earlier.

In that room, I was hanging on to a memory of the family I had driven away. It was a picture of my six-month-old son. Through my tears I told the boy in that picture, I will find a way to get you back.

Leading up to that event, I had spent two years giving away my sovereigntyand all the power that goes with itto my wife, my employer, the economy, my father, the government, and anyone and anything else that placed itself between what I wanted and where I currently was. The demise of my sovereignty manifested itself in the lies and excuses I had fabricated to justify my lackluster business, my poor health, and my failing marriage.