THE POWER OF STORY
Why Men Must Be Told of Brave Knights Before They Battle Dragons
“Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise, you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”
— C. S. Lewis
The Ancient Power in a Modern Tongue
Every man lives inside a story.
Whether he admits it or not, he is acting in a scene, moving through a plot, carrying old lines from forgotten scripts.
Some scripts are noble.
Some were written in shadows.
C. S. Lewis did not pen this quote as a soft sentiment for bedtime tales. He wrote it as a sober warning—one that today’s fathers, leaders, and mentors must heed:
If we do not tell them the stories of courage, they will be unequipped for the cruelty.
If we do not speak of Knights, they will not know how to fight.
If we do not show them Honor, they will think only of survival.
If we do not shape their souls with Story, they will be swallowed by the scripts of this dark age.
The Enemy is Real… So Must Be the Preparation
Life does not ask a boy if he is ready for battle.
The dragons of despair, addiction, passivity, and perversion do not wait until a man is fully armed.
They strike at will.
And many young men—boys in grown-up bodies—are being eaten alive.
Not because they were weak.
But because they were untold.
Untold the stories of heroism.
Untold the principles of sacrifice.
Untold the sacred codes of masculine responsibility and divine authority.
They were not trained in how to hold a sword or how to hold a vow.
And the tragedy is this: when a man does not know he is living in a story,
he becomes a casualty in someone else’s.
Story is Structure for the Soul
Stories do not just entertain. They imprint.
They carve the grooves into which our identity flows.
When a boy hears of knights, warriors, kings, and sages—he begins to imagine himself as one.
He learns that honor can overcome hatred. That faith can destroy fear. That love is worth fighting for.
Without these narrative blueprints, he is left with only culture’s counterfeit scripts:
Power is domination
Masculinity is toxic
Sex is conquest
Emotion is weakness
Purpose is optional
And so the soul drifts. Leaderless, voiceless, and rootless.
What We Tell Them… Tells Them Who They Are
The stories we share are not entertainment. They are equipment.
A good story does not just show a battle.
It shows what is worth battling for.
It teaches a man to see:
That every hardship can forge his strength
That every temptation is a test of his code
That every commitment, when kept, cements his crown
Stories are where men learn that pain can purify, that scars can be sacred, and that failure is not the end unless he refuses to rise.
What Happens When We Do Not Tell Them
Silence is not neutral.
It becomes a vacuum.
And vacuums are always filled.
If a boy is not taught the noble path, he will find the crooked one.
If he is not offered a King’s story, he will follow the Beast’s.
If he is not invited into a brotherhood of honor, he will fall prey to a tribe of addiction, abuse, or apathy.
And if we fail to name him, this culture will rename him.
It Is Not Too Late to Tell the Story
Whether you are a father, mentor, coach, pastor, or friend—you have the power to awaken courage in others.
You do not need a pulpit.
You need a voice.
You must tell them:
Of the King who weeps and yet still reigns
Of the warrior who lays down his sword to lift his brother
Of the brotherhood that does not break under pressure
Of the fire that refines, not just burns
You must be the living story of faithfulness, forgiveness, grit, and grace.
Reflection
What stories shaped your manhood
Who taught you how to fight
Who told you what love meant
Was it a true Knight’s tale or the whispers of a wounded world
Write down the core story you are currently living in
Is it rooted in fear or in faith
In history or in healing
In truth or a lie
Activation
-
Tell your story to someone younger.
Even if it is messy. Especially if it is real. -
Read a tale of courage to your son or your inner boy.
Not a fairytale, but a tale that includes pain, perseverance, and principled victory. -
Choose one false cultural script you have believed.
Burn it. Rewrite it. Replace it with a better story.
Final Charge
If they are going to face cruel enemies—and they will—then by God, let them hear of brave Knights.
Let them meet one in you.
Let your life be the tale they one day tell…
of a man who stood when others fled
of a man who carried light into dark places
of a man who bled, battled, forgave, and finished well
For a man with no story will live a shallow one.
But a man who lives the True Story becomes a legend in it.