Article 4: The Path & The Prodigal Son

Orthodoxy

It is a common misunderstanding in the perception of the Christian Faith, that Faith is leisurely and demands little

Listen or read to any work by America’s favorite Navy SEAL, Jocko Willink, and you will inevitably come across a mention or description of “the path.”

This has been simply stated in his podcast when being questioned as to whether or not he ever “sleeps in” and whether or not he ever strays from his diet. The answers to each are different, but they both share the same ultimate conclusion.

Willink never takes the time to “sleep in,” any morning, as he finds that it is most efficient to consistently wake up at 4:30am seven days a week in order to “attack” the day ahead. He is clear in his position that to wake up any later, even on the weekends, is to set himself up for failure and stray from “the path.”

When questioned on whether or not he ever breaks his diet, he is honest in his answer that while infrequent, exceptions to his rigid regimen are made, but he reassures that while he feels no guilt in dietary breakages, he will more than make up for them in extending his rigorous exercise routine to maintain his fitness and stay on “the path.”

While “the path” may be something that few actually question, it is important to nail down what it is he is referring to exactly.

For Willink, being a Navy SEAL was something beyond a profession that dwelled in the realm of externals, and his descriptions of his BUDS “Hell Week” he endured to become a SEAL in his texts “Extreme Ownership,” and “Discipline Equals Freedom,” air more on the side of the mental and spiritual than the physical and literal, whether he is aware of it or not.

While Willink has described himself as lucky to have the military career that he built over the course of 20 years, the mindset of being a SEAL has evidently been maintained and sharpened by Willink through his relentless work ethic, channeling his singular mindset into multiple fields outside of the military, and his daily 4:30am wake up and training postings on Instagram. He has described this as, “staying on the path.”

“The Path,” for Jocko appears to not only be determined by his actions, but by his words, thoughts, and his quick recovery from any missteps in his actions.

In Willink’s text, “Discipline Equals Freedom,” Jocko makes it clear that he often thinks about the “wrong things,” eats “the wrong foods,” says the “wrong things,” and loses sight of “the path,” but he makes it clear that the opportunity to return to the path is always there, which is an opportunity he always takes after straying.

In his podcast, the “Jocko Podcast,” his response to questions regarding “final failure” spoken by his co-host, “Echo Charles,” originally asked by loyal fans, consistently verbalizes some kind of speech regarding the fact that failure is not final. Willink even iterates that once can always return to “the path,” no matter how far one has strayed.

So what IS “the path?”

“The path,” in Jocko’s words, is returning to the mission that one has set out to accomplish in life, and in the event of a mission accomplished, the violent searching for the next mission and the constant preparation and sharpening of the self to better complete said next mission that is to be determined.

“The path,” in Willink’s outwardly spoken internal monologue, is nothing short of lifelong, and there isn’t a moment in which he believes that time is abundant enough to be killed. For all intents and purposes, even in hours of festivities and relaxation, Willink is “switched on,” and ready at all times to fight to the death in the gap of a split second.

Willink’s origins in his New Englander youth saw him grow into a relentless rebel seeking autonomy and discipline with the 80s and 90s punk rock frontman, Henry Rollins being a source of inspiration for tireless work ethic, aggressive mindsets, and physical fitness.

Rollins was a source of inspiration for counter-cultural young men and early 20 something’s in the military alike, and his body of written work was as action-inducing as his furious vocals on the battered stages of punk rock venues across America.

“The Iron Never Lies,” is a medium-length piece on the virtues of weightlifting and is found in every old school powerlifting gym in the West and beyond, but a simpler yet far more universal quote of Rollins lives in the psyches of Generation X and Millennial men alike:

“No such thing as spare time, no such thing as free time, no such thing as down time. All you got is life time. Go.”

If there is any man who embodies this quote to the fullest extent, it is Jocko Willink.

This quote is embodied in the approaches to life of both Rollins himself and Willink as an indirect disciple of the “Rollins way of life.”

Rollins has never been known to waste any time in life ever since taking a shot at becoming the singer of legendary punk rock outfit, Black Flag, which sparked a nonstop creation of “back up plans,” including publishing books, performing voice overs, embodying featured and supporting rolls on screens both big and small, and hosting. “talking tours” across the globe. He has been know for a hyper-fixated focus on travel, specifically in Africa, and he shows no signs of slowing down well into his late 50s. His description of his own life however, appears to be a reaction to the events of his life as they happened, and reaction has been the default setting for Rollins ever since. Rollins has never been known to profess a mission for his life, just an outward, artistic aggression.

The same can not be said for Willink. While the all-encompassing, high-energy, fast-paced mode of being in all things has clearly been internalized by Willink, pure reaction has never been a modus operandi at any point in his life.

This aforementioned “punk rock aggression,” “no time but life time,” mindset that both Rollins and Willink share is used by each individual in different applications, but it is Willink who uses it in an actual progression, or “path,” that he strives to embody walking on every single day of his life.

Willink has been known to echo the George Patton quote, “the only discipline is perfect discipline,” and even Willink admits he is not perfect but is always striving for perfection in his practice of staying on “the path.”

To break down “the path” as told by Jocko Willink is then as follows:

-Completing a Mission/Seeking a Mission/Preparing for next Mission

-An impossible standard of perfect discipline to strive for in not straying from the Mission or seeking of a Mission, depending on given circumstances.

-An ongoing decision of whether or not be in alignment with embodying and taking action like someone on the Mission or seeking if a Mission at hand in every word, act, and thought.

-An all-encompassing “yes or no” experience of whether or not one is using their “life time” correctly.

-A way that can be returned to at any given moment time when one has strayed from it whether for three years or three seconds.

These key attributes take on a life of their own when applied to the Christian Faith, as they are in truth, fundamental to a devoted praxis of Faith.

At the center of Jocko’s concept of “the path” echoes Jordan Peterson’s philosophy of creating different value systems and then creating a mission within the values any given individual has decided upon. The “mission” of “the path,” is determined by the given individual. When applying this concept to the Faith, the only difference in structure is its center, as God becomes the decision-maker in determining what the mission for a man is and the smaller missions that make up its contents. This does not cause the rest of this concept’s structure to shift, but it gains a deeper understanding in the mind, soul, and being of a man and his mission from God.

The impossible standard of perfect discipline has direct carryover to the striving for perfect discipline in maintaining the spiritual disciplines, the sacraments, and keeping the commandments. It is a standard that even the Saints have not reached, yet it was something that was constantly strived for by them and is demanded of all Christians to strive for.

A Faith that is fully embodied is a faith is aware of the impact of every word, deed, and thought, and while there are neutral forces such as money, their application can only either be within the bounds of Christian Faith or outside of them. It is the clearest “yes or no” dilemma when using one’s “life time.”

The last of these attributes of Jocko’s concept of “the path,” is the most important of all of these when applying them for the Christian Faith in returning “the path,” of its praxis.

Stumbling is inevitable in a walk of Faith, but it is the reaction to the stumbling that is its most vital aspect. To repent by definition means to “turn away,” and in the application of Faith, it means to turn away from one’s sin and back to God and His path for one’s life. Forgiveness is granted to every true repentance, as God is merciful.

The classic parable to drive this truth of the Christian Faith is that of the prodigal son. Despite being wayward from the commandments for years, the son is welcomed home by his father with open arms and rejoicing reflecting the ways of God the Father in repentance.

In any instance, as Christians, it is clear that we will embody the prodigal son every single day of our lives in our straying from the path of embodying the Christian Faith. What is vital for every Christian is the internal decision to return to “the path” to come sooner rather than later. The choice is whether to return after a few moments or to return after years apart from God. The internal decision in the mind to walk as Christians are meant to walk is the most important decision one can make in his life.

Once the path of Faith is returned to, all the other aspects of Faith can be embodied, and downstream of this is the same level of discipline and vitality that can be applied in matters of the world.

Willink, is embodying an ideal Christian virtue of undying action in being steadfast in “the path.” Add God to its center, and he is a model disciple.

To walk in this path of Faith with such discipline and vitality is to enable once’s self to all things with the same discernment and intensity.

One can not be a Christian and be lazy.