It’s that time of year again, when I comb through my archive of posts for the year and try to find my best material.

Honestly, though, this year it was genuinely hard to narrow it down to just 10. And I’m not saying that because I’m an especially great writer or anything- I’m saying it because I produced a hell of a lot of material this year.

I wrote, on average, at least one post per day, even though I didn’t write every day. And if you look back through my blog archives for this year, you will find quite a few lengthy essays of, in my personal opinion, pretty high quality, especially when compared to my first year of writing back in 2013. (Readers might disagree about this, but hey, it’s my blog. So there.)

Anyway, my blog archives are fully available in the left pane, so if you have your own particular favourites from the year, stick ’em in the comments below.

For the most part, 2017 was a banner year in terms of writing for me. I had a blast writing a lot of my articles, and I’m quite looking forward to the possibility of putting a collection of them into book form soon. I’ll keep y’all posted about that.

In the meantime, enjoy the best of the best that the Didact has to offer:

1. The Feast of the Emperor’s Ascension – 01/20/2017

Donald Trump recognises America’s past and possible future greatness. And that is why I am truly pleased that he is now President.

I recognised that he loves America, just like I do and just like so many Americans do. I recognised that, for all of his flaws- and he has many- he was the only candidate fromeither party who actually seemed to give even the minutest quantum of a damn about the actual people.

That is why I am delighted that Donald Trump is now President. It is because I wish this country the very best, as a proud friend and ally of its people who would see its greatness restored and who believes in its founding principles.

2. The Last of the Romans – 02/09/2017

It is an iron law of history: weak men create hard times.

They create those hard times because they directly weaken the culture that bred them in the first place. They deny their own cultural heritage and, in so doing, ensure the ultimate destruction of the very ideals and modes of thought that gave them life and substance.

Brothers, there is no getting around the fact that the outlook for Western civilisation is bleak in the extreme.

However, not all is lost.

3. The Ageless Juveniles – 03/18/2017

At the core of every juvenile Heinlein novel is a transformation process understood in his very bones by everyone who has ever lived to make the difficult passage from boy to man.

Every one of us men, from the dawn of our race, has faced the same trial: the transition from youth to manhood. The exact nature of that test takes on as many different forms as there are tribes and cultures in this world, but the basic goal remains always and everywhere exactly the same: to push a teenage boy above the parapet of his childhood by forcing him to take on adult responsibilities and challenges.

And whether you are reading Rocket Ship Galileo, Space Cadet, Red Planet, Farmer in the Sky, Between Planets, Starman Jones, or any of the rest of the series, the theme is consistent between every single one of them: take a reasonably mature, highly intelligent, and free-thinking boy about to make that difficult adjustment, subject him to challenge and hardship, and watch as he responds and becomes a man.

4. Paying for the Cow – 04/14/2017

Men have built mighty empires, slaughtered millions of innocents, smashed their foes into dust, raised up magnificent sculptures, painted stunning works of art, and created amazing buildings, for two very fundamental, largely intermingled, reasons.

First, power and wealth give men sexual access to just about any woman they desire. That is the leverage that women hold over us, and it is astonishingly powerful.

Second, men seek immortality, an escape from the ultimate judgement of death. We can do this by making sure that our names live down through the ages- and by continuing our genetic line, through our children.

In either case, we need women. We always have. And women know it.

But very soon, that power balance will shift, radically.

5. Ultimate Cost for Perfect Value – 05/29/2017

Freedom is not the right to live as one pleases. Freedom is the substitution of self-discipline, with all of its ardours and difficulties, for discipline imposed by others. The joy and glory of freedom is in the dignity and self-respect that it gives a man.

A man who lives his life on his own terms is free because he, along with his people, has made the hard sacrifices needed to be truly free.

This God-given gift that we call freedom is a jewel beyond price, a treasure beyond value. It transforms us, elevates us, and allows us to become the best versions of ourselves that we can possibly be- if we so choose.

To quote Thomas Paine, “it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated”.

6. The Glorious Burden – 06/18/2017

So in that sense, what, exactly, is the point in designating this one day as “Fathers’ Day”?

Simple. It is about expressing gratitude and appreciation for the men who step up to take on the most important responsibility of their lives.

The truth about fatherhood is that it is the most profound and sacred duty that any man can take on. It is the most difficult, and often the most stressful.

7. Saving Souls, Pt. 2: Resilience – 07/20/2017

When you “unplug”, you quickly realise that there is no such thing as “The One”. The ideal “soulmate” simply does not exist. She is not real, and not all of the Disney-spun fairy tales in the world will bring her to life. The idea that you will find one woman, andonly one woman, who will breathlessly swoon over you and fall in twoo wove with you and be yours and yours alone forever, will become utterly laughable.

At best, you will find a woman who is simply better than most. If you are very, very lucky, you might just find one who makes other women fade into the background every time you see her, as if she is a signal surrounded by mildly irritating noise.

But you will never again waste your time and energy searching for a non-existent unicorn.

8. Time is on Your Side – 08/29/2017

So if you are a young man grinding through his early- to mid-twenties, suffering through the miseries of your early career and dealing with the unmitigated disaster that is the modern Western woman, keep your chin up and keep your eye fixed firmly upon the future.

Lift weights. Do martial arts, or at least learn to defend yourself. Learn the great wisdom of great men who passed before you. Stand tall and dress well. Learn the basics of game, and try to apply them wherever you can. Eat clean and as well as you can afford. Learn how to cook. Never bow down as a slave to anyone in the chains of debt.

9. The Thin Line – 10/11/2017

The thin line between order and chaos, between civilisation and barbarism, between rational argument and incoherent nonsense, and between peace and war, relies on men who are willing to make their stands and hold their ground.

When the time comes- and it will come for us all- stand for those who believe in the old ways, and who have proven through word and deed that they will not bend or break in the face of their enemies.

10. The Gifts – 09/24/2017

We have allowed ourselves to forget these magnificent gifts of manliness. In our madness and stupidity, we curse the Lord for giving us these things, when what weshould be doing is working to develop such gifts just as well as we possibly can.

If you feel weak, unmanly, indecisive, or too risk-averse, change one thing in your life, and only one, that expresses your masculinity.

Start lifting weights. Take up a martial art. Travel. Approach women on the streets and engage them in simple conversations. Learn to ride a motorcycle- I love driving cars, but I’ll be the first to admit that a motorbike is a far more intimate and raw connection with the world. Read the great works of great men. Write a book (or start a blog). Start your own business. Study a new language. Build a monument, paint on a canvas, learn how to work with your hands, plant a garden.

Do anything other than letting yourself continue down the path of weakness.

HONOURABLE MENTION: The Ten Commandments of the Iron God – 06/05/2017

I am the Lord of Iron thy God, who brought thee out of the heretical land of Broscience, out of the bondage of body-part split routines. Thou shalt have no other lifting gods before me.