Hold Fast in a Broken World

When my son was young, we read several chapters from a book, Stand Fast in the Way of Truth, by Douglas Bond. It's comprised of a series of stories, narratives, and discussions on various topics that fathers and sons should talk about. A second book came out but I don't think we ever started it. The second book is Hold Fast in a Broken World. While the book is for younger sons and fathers to share, I think the lessons have broader application to young men and even some old ones. Over the next few months, every once in awhile, I'll be pulling material from this book and sharing it in this space.

In general, the book is dedicated to the pursuit of truth and explaining how challenging that pursuit can be and identifying the obstacles that get in the way. Bond shares a short story from author Stephen Crane to convey this struggle and set the tone for the book:

War correspondent Stephen Crane wrote a perceptive verse about life that begins, "The wayfarer, perceiving the pathway to truth." Though he perceives the pathway, he immediately faces an obstacle. The path to truth was "thickly grown with weeds"; few travelers were going to the trouble to take that road. Little wonder. It's a pathway that looks painful, one that is sure to be hard on the feet. At the last, Crane's persona concludes, "Doubtless there are other roads."

More tomorrow.