Reflections
A Radical Alternative to College
In my mind it seems like everyone is composed of two different pieces: Character and Ability. Who they are and what they are capable of.
The Preparation is designed to enhance and build the Ability of an individual. To do this, the individual must continuously put themselves in situations where they can build competency around various different skills.
Character and Ability go hand in hand. You must consciously pursue greater ability and, in consequence, good character will come from the pursuit.
Sometimes it seems to me that the content of The Preparation overshadows the Why - the reason for doing it. Of course, the reason why a person would go through their own preparation is unique to them. However, for a person’s Why to be strong enough to endure life’s curveballs and good (in the truest sense of the word) enough to be worthy of the devotion of precious time and energy - it must be, in my estimation, about crafting your being.
As Epictetus said, “The true man is revealed in difficult times.” Or, as Seneca said, “Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men.”
The adversity you face in The Preparation comes from continuously thrusting yourself into the deep end of whatever you seek to do or learn. The task is different every time you seek to gain a new skill but, and this is one of the most difficult parts of it all, you must start as a complete fool.
The skills you gain on your path will, no doubt, allow for a better life. But, the type of man that willingly walks the path and flourishes from that - that is the Why, that is the reason for it all.
I don’t know how well I’m explaining this idea, but hopefully I can find the proper words to describe exactly what I mean over time.
Yet, this idea has become solidified in my mind after a year and a half in The Preparation. The secondary focus (skills) are only a bridge to two things: a better life and, the primary focus, good character.
Some of the very best moments of the sailing trip in the Falklands were moments when I had complete control over myself. I tossed aside fear and anger when I didn’t know how to do something, became more comfortable with looking like a fool, and forced myself to bring focused, consistent action.
Not to say that I have self-control all of the time. I’m only meaning to say that my experience on the boat for three weeks has only made it more clear to me that character is king.
The ability to control yourself trumps just about any skill you can acquire. Though, this is where it gets difficult to discern Ability from Character, but for the sake of time, I’d say that self-control is a skill that, if it is put to frequent practice, can morph into a trait of your character.
The lines do blur at a point.
Anyway, that’s what I was thinking about this past week.
Skills stick with you
After coming back home to Uruguay, I realized how much I missed riding horses. It had been awhile - maybe 3 months since I last rode.
First, my horse Comanche, needed a cleaning. Particularly his hooves. They were overgrown and not in great condition. Last year I learned how to shoe horses from a gaucho here in Uruguay. During the shoeing process you pretty much always clean and trim the hooves before putting the horse shoes on.
It’s a simple process, yet a good skill to have.
Like I said, it isn’t rocket science. Not even close, but the feeling you get when you acquire even a minor level of competency in something (to a level where you don’t require assistance from another) is unlike anything else. Simple skills like cleaning hooves or more complex skills like medical skills or writing well…no matter what it is, part (or most) of a skill always sticks with you.
All the more reason to gain a vast number of skills.
T-minus two weeks
In 14 days I will be leaving Uruguay to head back to the states to check some big boxes: working on wildfires again and getting my private pilot’s license.
Though, I plan on doing much more than just that when I go back.
Once March 18th comes around it’ll mark the beginning of 8 or 9 months of grind. Learning and working. I’m absolutely excited for it. This year is shaping up to be one of the best yet.
While I’m still here I have a short break before it all begins though.
Reading
Finished reading A Horse’s Tale by Mark Twain
Regrettably, I had never read Mark Twain before finishing this book this past week. The story isn’t anything special, it’s about Buffalo Bill’s horse, Soldier Boy and the story is told through Soldier Boy’s point of view. Don’t get me wrong, the story is short and enjoyable, but the writing is simple, conversational, and witty. Old comedy doesn’t translate well nowadays because its theatrical and clever, but it’s absolutely more wholesome. And there’s plenty bits and pieces of that old-form comedy in this book…
Started reading Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine by Joseph Campbell
I found Jospeh Campbell one year ago and couldn’t have been more pleased. His life focus was along similar lines as Carl Jung. It seems to me that the study the two men dedicated their lives to aimed at finding the utmost truths of life…or at least some of them. I just started reading this book and am hoping that it’s just as good as The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Are these updates informative? Are they useful? Entertaining?
Leave a comment below if you’ve got any suggestions or questions for me.
And don’t forget to send this to someone who might benefit.
I’ll see you next week.
-Maxim Benjamin Smith
I am acting as a guinea pig for a program which is meant to prepare young men for the future. This program is designed to be a replacement for the only three routes advertised to young men today - go to college, the military, or a dead-end job.
All of these typical routes of life are designed to shape us into cogs for a wheel that doesn’t serve us. Wasted time, debt, lack of skills, and a soul crushing job define many who follow the traditional route.
This program, which we can call “The Preparation”, is meant to guide young men on a path where they properly utilize their time to gain skills, build relationships, and reach a state of being truly educated. The Preparation is meant to set young men up for success.
What appeals to me about The Preparation is the idea of the type of man I could be. The path to becoming a skilled, dangerous, and competent man is much more clear now. I’ve always been impressed by characters like The Count of Monte Cristo, men who accumulated knowledge and skills over a long period of time and eventually became incredibly capable men.
Young men today do not have a guiding light. We have few mentors and no one to emulate. We have been told that there are only a few paths to success in this world. For intelligent and ambitious people - college is sold to us as the one true path. And yet that path seems completely uncertain today.
We desperately need something real to grab onto. I think this is it.
I’m putting the ideas into action. Will it work? I can’t be sure, but I’m doing my best. I’m more than 60 weeks into the program at this point. So far, so good.
You can follow me along as I follow the program. Each week, I summarize all that I did.
My objective in sharing this is three fold:
Documenting my progress holds me accountable.
I hope these updates will show other young men that there is another path we can take.
For the parents who stumble upon this log, I want to prove to you that telling your children that the conventional path - college, debt, and a job is not the foolproof path you think it is.
And if you’re still unsure about all of this…here is a list of some of my more notable accomplishments over the past year:
- Learned basic conversational Spanish (and still improving)
- Became a Certified EMT
- Became a certified wildland firefighter
- Read dozens of books on economics, philosophy, sales, marketing and personal development along with essays and historical speeches
- Attended a Wrangler school in Wyoming
- Worked as a ranch hand on a regenerative cattle ranch
- Learned to operate farm equipment
- Learned to shoe horses
-Learned the basics of horsemanship
-Learned how to inspect and treat cattle
-Learned basics of accounting
- Completed Copywriting Course
- Worked for 26 days as an EMT on the 2024 Falls Fire in Oregon earned $600/day
- Regular practice of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and recently added Muay Thai
- Climbed 3 Fourteeners in Colorado
-Climbed most of a Thirteener in Colorado
- Learned how to pack mules and lead them into the backcountry
- Finished closed-water scuba dive
- Did my first (tandem) skydiving jump
- Wrote 40+ essays
- Spent 100s of hours practicing to be competent in chess. Had private lessons with a chess master
-Completed a REMS (Rapid Extrication Module Support) course in South Dakota (Learned how to rappel, create raising systems, build lowering systems, and give and receive coordinates)
-Learned how to tie a variety of knots and hitches
-Became a public notary in Colorado
-Rock climbed for the first time
-Completed a motorcycle driving course
-Worked 2 menial jobs (Office Depot and Westside Pizza)
-Worked for 15 days on the Willamette fire complex in Oregon as an EMT making $600/day
-Completed 4 open water scuba dives and became an open water certified scuba diver
-Studied regenerative agriculture
-Learned to sail in the Falkland Islands