Author: Rich Gorecki

2025: The Year for Better Male Friendships

January 6, 2025 No Comments

In my last post with Reflections on Year 6 of this blog, I stated that too many men still fail in school, at work, and in their families. The increase in loneliness and isolation has created a culture that enables guys to hide behind a mask, which keeps others from knowing them well enough to know when they struggle. So this year, I want to double down on my theory that men need deeper, authentic friendships. This post kicks off the new year with an interesting video about the decline of friendship in America. It also includes facts about loneliness and why we must help connect young males in relationships with more mature men. With a renewed focus on having better friendships, our boys and men, our girls and women, and our families, can all do better. Men Struggle with Stress and Loneliness According to recent studies, around 57%

Reflections on Year 6: Too Many Men Are Still Failing

December 30, 2024 No Comments

Since starting this blog, my practice has been to write an annual summary of the recent year’s posts. This year’s theme, “Wisdom for Men” was purposely geared to a more general audience of men, regardless of their religious affiliation or spirituality. But I realized there is still work to do. Despite what you read in the media, too many males are falling behind in school, at work, and in their families. They are struggling with loneliness, isolation, abuse, and addictions. Even after nearly 300 posts, self-publishing a book, and several speaking engagements, men still need deeper, more authentic friendships because the problems of boys and men persist. Males are Struggling In his recent book, Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It, Richard Reeves examines the alarming trends well known to social scientists but not present in the

Rethinking Your Parents’ Stories

December 23, 2024 No Comments

My last two posts, The Pain of An Absent Father, and The Effects of Being Overly-Bonded with Mom described the impact of two “wounds” many men carry into adulthood. These wounds can affect our marriage, spouse, and children if left unaddressed. They also contribute to The Crisis of Fatherlessness in America. In this final post, I encourage you to view your parents’ stories from a new perspective and embrace forgiveness, which helps you heal to become a better husband and father. Broken Boys Remain Hurting Males One of my heroes in the men’s ministry space is Dr. Patrick Morley, author of several books for men. Shortly after getting through my struggle with workaholism, I read Morley’s first book, The Man in the Mirror: Solving the 24 Problems Men Face. That book accelerated my journey to becoming a better man as I described in my 2019 post, Looking at the