We are
fathers first.

We know ourselves in order to be able to love ourselves.

So that we can love our children without looking to them for anything other than their own growth and evolution.

It is not about violence.

It is not about identity.

To love one's self is to be able to do so beyond identity;

And it is not a competition either.

It is a conscious patience and precision; built upon open eyes, an open heart and an open mind.

Guided by a soul at peace with, and in control of, the shadows within.

This is the beginning of what it means to be a father first.

Why is this peace necessary?

Because violence is easy

The challenge is to build a world where all fathers are able to be the best fathers that they can be.

By loving ourselves deeply we are enabled to see the beauty, wonder and value in others more clearly.

And being a father calls us to help to protect and nurture that beauty, wonder and value.