Do Not Deny Kids Adventure. Give Them Responsibility.
Do Not Deny Kids Adventure. Give Them Responsibility.
Think of the greatest stories of the last century — The Hobbit, Star Wars, The Lion King, The Matrix, Spider-Man, Harry Potter, or even The Wizard of Oz. The hero embarks on a journey that begins with a call to adventure. The call signifies a voluntary step into the unknown.
It goes something like this:
The call to adventure...
The refusal of the call...
Meeting the mentor...
Crossing the threshold...
Trial & failure...
Reflection...
An ordeal...
The ultimate reward or sacrifice.
The hero's journey is not just about facing external challenges and all the crap the world will throw at you, but it’s about an absolute internal transformation. It’s only made possible by the choice to take up the challenge willingly.
That’s something Jordan Peterson discussed on his most recent Joe Rogan appearance, saying, “There is no difference between responsibility and adventure – the heavier the responsibility, the more profound the adventure.”
Peterson describes how in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the wizard Gandalf visits Frodo Baggins, disrupts Frodo’s comfortable life, and sends the young Hobbit out on a quest. Frodo must carry an immense burden for all of “mankind” at great personal cost. His responsibility equates to adventure. These concepts are inseparable.
Most all of us are offered calls to adventure in our lives, some small and some large. Many of those calls get refused.
Small: Your wife has a stomach ache and asks you to put down your video game to go to the store for ginger ale >> Probably nothing interesting happens while you’re out on the errand, but what if…
Large: Your girlfriend reveals that she’s pregnant >> Taking responsibility and forming a family will completely alter the trajectory of your life.
Peterson’s point to Rogan was that we must resist selling ourselves short and take on every responsibility the world holds out to us. Each one contains the possibility of adventure and something beautiful we’ll never find in the comfort of our beds.
The Journey Must Be Voluntary
Responsibility is adventure. Adventure is responsibility. This is something that was put forward in different words by a recent Dad Saves America guest, Warren Smith of the Secret Scholars Society on YouTube. He talked on the show about the transformational nature of the hero’s journey and how often modern adults deny young people the opportunity for a quest. They do this in an effort to shield and protect them. But in doing so, they deny kids the chance to experience responsibility, and by extension, adventure. Their lives become stale, bubble wrapped and predictable.
If you’d like to dig deeper into the hero’s journey, critical thinking, and the best ways to motivate young students, check out my full interview with Warren Smith.
When we see characters forced into their adventures, the narrative often feels less impactful. The reluctant hero may initially resist the call, but there is usually a moment of voluntary acceptance, a conscious decision to face the unknown. This voluntary aspect is what makes the journey truly heroic. To embark on the hero’s journey, your Harry Potter or Frodo or Luke Skywalker must first reject the notion of being a victim of circumstance. Even the call to adventure requires an active decision to pick up the sword and face the journey ahead.
We Need More Heroes
Adults, particularly educators and parents, bear a significant responsibility to children in guiding them toward their own calls to adventure. Grown-ups must encourage them to step into the unknown voluntarily. This guidance is not about imposing our will but about modeling courage and resilience. We live in a time where children are increasingly exposed to an ideology of victimhood, and it is transparently detrimental to their growth.
The hero's journey is a timeless metaphor for the growth and development of young people. As adults, recognize and embrace your role in exposing them to responsibility. Model for them what it looks like to voluntarily take on struggle and reject victimhood. The responsibilities each of us will take on in this life will be significant, and the sooner your young ones know to think of it as an opportunity — as adventure — the better off they’ll be.
Actually, we’ll all be better off. The world needs way more heroes.
John, the insights you and your guests share are incredible and so needed in a world that rewards victimhood and ultimately cowardice. Thank you for taking the mantle of responsibility here as well.