“Prepare your hearts as a fortress, for there will be no other.”    

Francisco Pizarro

Superman needed space.

He needed a place to go to get the fuck away from humanity. He needed a place to be himself, to vent, to figure out the questions in his head, his place in the world, the reason he was sent to Earth. He couldn’t get that in Metropolis, a city of bustling sheep and where his slam piece, Lois Lane, was always getting herself into damn trouble.

Humans, for all their benefits, were trying for the Man of Steel. Sheep, all of them, except a very few. So he hauled ass to the North Pole, threw his crystal, and watched it turn into his own, personal, fortress.

His home, his own walls away from the shit the world was throwing at him.

He needed it.

He needed to get away from a world that, many times, took him for granted. This was his world to develop his own person, his own world.

Not a comfort zone, mind you, but a place to grow without distraction, to learn without judgement, to act without guilt.

The world saw him as a savior, but nothing more. He needed a place, a home, to grow himself as a person. He didn’t want to be a weapon to defend, he was still a person, as strange as he was.

Explore, Roots, then Build

For the younger guys out there, my advice has always been the same.

Explore your world. Travel. Find a place that touches your soul.

What place speaks to you? It doesn’t have to be fancy, the city, the country, what ever, just explore and find a place that hits you as a man and fills you with a sense of “this is home”.

It may take you years to find it, but while you’re looking, you may very well find out what Goldmund did, that your home is your soul, and wanderlust is in your blood forever.

My story? Not really very exciting. Born and raised in Indiana, and my soul is truly here. The autumn is truly the time of year that I feel my soul connect to the place I inhabit. The seasons make for a great backdrop for the changes in my life that seem to happen every year, without apology.

This is the place I wanted to live. Could I have gone elsewhere? Sure.

But this is my home. It’s the place I call mine. It’s my Fortress of Solitude.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way. After rebuilding after my marriage ended, I could’ve gone any other way, but I chose home. Indiana is where my heart is and always will be. And that, young kings, is what you have to find. A place to call yours. A fortress to build your empire out of.

The greatest empires in the world had and still have spectacular cities at the heart of their culture. Rome, for example. Still the herald of ancient cities to this day, and still exudes greatness. It’s the heart of the great empire. It’s what you need.

Your decision will come to you automatically when you see the place you are in. It won’t take very long to see that this, indeed, is the place you want to put down your roots and build your empire.

Whether it be in the mountains, beaches, valleys, woodlands, jungles, or plains of this world, there is a place that will sing to you to call home.

But the search must begin. You can’t hang your hat on a moving train. You must KNOW what you want in order to feel it. So have a plan, have an idea, and have a dream. You can’t have a home if you don’t identify what makes it that way.

If you truly don’t know yourself, you can’t know what place will work for you. Self analysis and work to set out your boundaries, likes, dislikes, joys and turn offs will only lead to you finding the place you want sooner and with less headaches.

Define yourself, then define your world.

WHY A FORTRESS?

Men ask, “Why do I need a place for me?”

It’s the most important place in the world for you. It’s where you can grow, develop your talents and skills, learn, and express yourself without the absolute shit show of the outside world intruding. It’s your place to build your world.

You have to have a sanctuary for all the bull shit. You have to have a place to go when shit gets heavy and you need to put it down. You need to have quiet, you need to have peace, and you have to make it your way.

Build strong walls and a solid foundation, to keep the world out so you can work on yourself.

This is your space, defend it with your life. No person has a right to change it, nor should they request the same of you.

Many men give up their personal space too quickly to the prospect of pussy. They change things they’ve stood by for years because a woman wants them to change.

If she wants to change you, she’s not the one for you.

This is your world. This is what you’ve built.

Imagine building your own house and busting your ass over it for YEARS, only to have someone come in with dynamite and a sledgehammer simply because she’s got a pretty face and a nice ass.

Men will sell their souls for pussy, only to find out the bill is a shit ton bigger than they ever imagined.

So they cash out, become bitter, all while living in a bubble that wasn’t created by them, but for them, but those that want to see them do other people’s bidding.

You create your world. You build your fortress. If folks don’t like it, they can take a giant fucking hike.

Your world, your rules. It’s time to say “tough” to those who can’t deal with your fortress.

You build it for yourself. You build it to get away from those that would see it destroyed. You build it as you build your boundaries.

YOU ARE THE KING OF YOUR CASTLE.

This hasn’t changed nor will it. But men, just like Superman, have become useful tools that are only needed when the world is threatened, then discarded after the danger has passed. There’s still more for you to do. There’s still a shit ton of value you possess.

While men are primarily valued for what they provide, there are tons of other factors that determine your worth, especially to yourself. You dictate all of this.

Men have more control over their lives than they realize. They just need to take the step to build the walls that enforce that.

You are Superman. You aren’t governed by anything except your own desires, needs, and wants. You control you life, so start building your fortress.

You will appreciate the fact that you did for the rest of your life.