CTP (20260826 S4EAugSpecial4) David Savage Backpacking For Real And As Life Metaphor BTS/SP video

Name: CTP (20260826 S4EAugSpecial4) David Savage Backpacking For Real And As Life Metaphor BTS/SP video
Uploaded: 2026-08-25T19:15:34+00:00
Duration: 59 min 20 s
Channel: Joseph M. Lenard

00:00Hello, welcome to another episode of Perstitutionalist Podcast.

00:06I am your host, Joseph M. Leonard.

00:09That's L-E-N-A-R-D.

00:12It looks French.

00:13It's not.

00:14It's Leonard without an O.

00:17Thank you for tuning in, as Graham Norton used to say, on his show.

00:24Let's get on with the show!

00:25Joining me today is David Savage.

00:31You all know I work with Podmatch, and we found each other on Podmatch, where it says about him.

00:43His book is based upon his experiences as a Philmont Ranger backpacking guide and another 25 years together with what

00:53we called The Six Packs.

00:55So, we'll get into all that.

00:58Welcome to the show, David.

01:01Thank you very much, Joseph.

01:03I saw backpacking, and that was enough for me.

01:08Because my weekday specials with guests, I like to indeed be a variety of topics, and certainly heretofore, never had

01:21anyone talking about backpacking.

01:24So, hey, you know, exercise, healthy.

01:28I've had health episodes.

01:30So, definitely let's talk that.

01:33But first, where were you born and raised, significant places you've been in between, that sort of thing?

01:41I was born in San Angelo, Texas.

01:43So, I'm a native Texan, proud native Texan.

01:46Lived there for three years, and then moved to Germany, Darmstadt, Germany.

01:51And my dad was a career Air Force, and we lived in Germany for four years.

01:55Then back to San Angelo, and unusually, because he taught the spy school, he did cryptology and linguistics.

02:03We kind of stayed in the same place, and I was able to go really first through 12th grade, you

02:09know, in the same town, which is pretty unusual for an Air Force brat.

02:12And then I graduated and went to Texas A&M University.

02:18I was a nuclear engineering major my first year, which was 1978, and then in 1979 was Three Mile Island.

02:25And I went to the counselor and said, I'm claustrophobic.

02:30I can't do life on a Navy submarine, so I'm going to need to change majors.

02:36And so, then I graduated with a degree in civil engineering and worked for four or five years in civil

02:43engineering for a consulting firm.

02:45And then I got my professional engineer license, and I wanted to get compensated a little bit more based on

02:53my performance because I felt like I was an above-average performer, but I was getting average pay.

02:57And so, I was recruited into a technical sales position for a company that's a global leader in specialty chemicals.

03:07So, Nalco Chemical Company, which then became purchased by Ecolab now, is what you would know them as, Ecolab names

03:13around.

03:14But I was in the energy division and refining of petrochemicals and had a 31-year career with them and

03:21retired at the end of 2018.

03:26You know, out of a global position and, you know, I ended up, my mom and my brother were in

03:33memory care facilities and they passed away in 2019.

03:36And that was one of the big kind of triggers for why I pulled the parachute a little early on

03:39retirement.

03:40And then I decided I was going to write this book because I got mad about what was happening with

03:47the Boy Scouts of America, which I had a tremendous, a tremendous experience.

03:51That's why it's all about backpacking.

03:53And I actually worked as a backpacking guide at Philmont Scout Ranch, if anybody's familiar with that.

03:59It's a terrific place.

04:00And then I actually continued to backpack for 25 years with this group that you referenced, the Six Pack, because

04:08they revered me and my scouting credentials as I revered them as the executives of those companies.

04:15But they were all old Eagle Scouts.

04:17They called me up and they said, hey, we're looking for someone to go backpacking with us.

04:21And we heard you were a Philmont Ranger.

04:23And I called my boss and I said, hey, I got like these vice presidents, man, that want me to

04:27go backpacking with them.

04:28I said, I'm not going to burn my personal vacation on this.

04:31And they go, are you kidding?

04:32We can't even get an appointment for an hour with those guys.

04:34You can spend a week with them.

04:36And you're sleeping in a tent.

04:37It doesn't even cost us anything except for the airline ticket.

04:40And then we did that for 25 years.

04:43And I learned more around the campfire about the whole refining a petrochemical business than I ever would have, you

04:49know, lunches or on the golf course because we were in challenging situations.

04:56Yeah, I am familiar with Ecolab because I worked for Diversi Wyandotte Chemicals.

05:03It used to be Wyandotte Chemicals bought up by Diversi subsidiary of Molson out of Canada, became Diversi Wyandotte.

05:14I don't know if they're even still operating or not.

05:18If Molson finally got tired of them losing money.

05:22Nalco bought Diversi.

05:24So they did get rolled into.

05:26So I think they're actually part of, you know, Ecolab now.

05:30Okay, yeah, I've fallen out of touch with folks from back then.

05:35So I didn't really know the origin of the Diversi Wyandotte merger gobble up of Wyandotte by Diversi was Molson

05:48said,

05:48Hey, we need chemicals for our plants and whatnot.

05:54Why not have our own operation?

05:57At any rate, what?

06:00Okay, we heard kind of the genesis and impetus to grow the backpacking into the book.

06:11But what was the origins of your first endeavor into the backpacking world?

06:21Well, it was, you know, obviously through the Boy Scouts.

06:24And, you know, so I had a chief master sergeant of the NCO Academy at the Air Force Base who

06:31had a crude cut, was super fit, smoked filterless camels, and was very tough.

06:37He was just a real kind of an inspirational figure in my life.

06:41You know, I was kind of a clever kid, but I wasn't a big yes-sir or no-sir guy.

06:45And we went to summer camp for the first time, and he had this one-pound coffee can painted yellow

06:52with a number five on it.

06:53He asked me a question, and I said, sure.

06:57You know, and he goes, well, you're supposed to say yes, sir.

06:58So now you get to carry this one-pound empty coffee can, you know, painted with a bailing wire handle

07:03everywhere around scout camp, you know, to the mess hall, swimming, everything, you know.

07:09And then I'll give you a chance to get rid of it.

07:11And if you answer properly, you'll get rid of it.

07:13If you don't, then I'm going to put a rock in it.

07:15So I tried a variety of ways.

07:17You know, the next time he came up and asked me, and I said, okay, or I nodded or something,

07:21because I was just not going to be broken.

07:23And then, sure enough, I had a can full of rocks, you know, that I was carrying around.

07:29And then I eventually, you know, he broke me.

07:32And, you know, and I was a yes-sir, no-sir kid by, you know, the second day at camp.

07:36And I just have a lot of respect for how he taught me.

07:40And I needed it.

07:40I did a lot of backpacking, you know, actually on church retreats.

07:44And I just love being out in the wilderness.

07:46I love the unpredictability of it and, you know, your reliance on nature to kind of,

07:52if it's hailing, we might have to stay in the same spot, you know, a couple of days.

07:56And you have to just throw out, you know, your itinerary plan and say, you know, we only have so

08:01many clothes and we can't get wet.

08:02So we're just going to have to hunker down here.

08:04And I just love being in God's creation, really.

08:08It's where I feel closest to God.

08:10And, you know, I can sense it.

08:12There's a psalm, you know, that's Psalm 19.1.

08:16It says, the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork.

08:21And that's true.

08:22You know, when you're out there under an open sky at night in a campfire and you can really see

08:26the stars because you're in the wilderness, you know, that really is like medicine for me.

08:31It really restores my soul.

08:32Yeah.

08:33A couple things off topic.

08:36But since you mentioned all that out there, the Spielberg disclosure movie coming in the trailer, there's a supposedly Catholic

08:48nun when questioned, you know, oh, aliens are real.

08:53And she says, you know, implying, like I've always said, I'm not surprised.

09:00Why would God have created all that to leave it empty?

09:08So, but yeah, back to the scouts and the point being, the weakening, I hate to use the term, but

09:18the dumbing down, so to speak, of the whole program and lightning.

09:25Because as you later and now say discovered, he wasn't being mean.

09:34It was something he wanted to do to help mold you be a good person in society for your own

09:44good.

09:44And a lot of that is gone in what I refer to now as return, it seems a return to

09:53the hippies, 60s days, right?

09:56If it feels good, all about me, only me, but the good thing that came out of that and the

10:04resurgence we're seeing now, I call it the Jesus revolution too.

10:09Eventually, a lot of those hippies, the ones not like Bernadine Dorns or Bill Ayers that went on to become

10:17terrorists, you know, sound God and realize, yeah, there has to be more to all this than just me, me,

10:28me, mine, mine, mine, give it to me yesterday.

10:32Yes, I agree.

10:35In fact, you know, the other thing about being outdoors is, you know, we're creatures, you know, just like other

10:43creatures.

10:44Now, God gave us the ability to reason is what distinguishes us from all the other animals.

10:49But we tend to forget that we have instincts.

10:54And I think today, especially, you know, with nothing but screens in front of our kids, you know, they've lost

10:59complete touch with any kind of an instinct they have, or they wouldn't recognize it if they felt it.

11:05And but there are two instincts that all of us have, and that's hunger and thirst.

11:10You know, if you're hungry, your body, your brain, it tells you, I got to eat something, you know, thirst

11:16the same way.

11:17And so the way I view life is that, you know, this hunger and thirst in the outdoors, it's easy

11:25to experience both of those.

11:27And and I think that we have every human on the planet, doesn't matter what race, what age, what gender

11:34or anything, have two soul longings.

11:38One is a thirst for a love that cannot be diminished by performance.

11:44So, in other words, an unconditional love.

11:47We all thirst for that.

11:49And then the other is the hunger for to make a difference in that world that can't be erased, you

11:55know, to leave some kind of a legacy.

11:57You know, what's our impact on the world?

11:59And you can try to fill those two holes in your heart, which are your soul cravings with all kinds

12:06of other things.

12:07But nothing satisfies.

12:09Nothing satiates that except for God.

12:11And so that's kind of my opening premise, if you will, for, you know, how my foundation of all my

12:18other thought life and beliefs.

12:21I have an episode with Leslie Hall in the back catalog about, indeed, our animal side.

12:30A lot of people try to deny it, but it's there.

12:35And also that we think we're so involved with all these new gadgets and gimmicks and toys we've come up

12:44with.

12:44We've made life a little easier on the one hand, but it's still the same human nature inside.

12:53And people try to deny that and create and live a delusion rather than understand those realities.

13:03You mentioned food.

13:05The literal as well as some figurative lessons that have to come out of that.

13:12Oh, that looks good.

13:15That looks tasty.

13:16That should be okay for me to consume, but not necessarily so.

13:23Yes.

13:24Ask anybody that's eaten some poison berries or was experimenting with mushrooms and got the wrong ones.

13:31Uh-huh.

13:33You know exactly what I was going for there.

13:37Yes.

13:37Those hippies.

13:41In fact, I was just in Georgia.

13:42We went to the Allman Brothers Band Museum in Macon, and all of their artwork and their album covers all

13:50had these mushrooms on it.

13:51I didn't realize, you know, back then how big they were into mushrooms for their creative inspiration.

13:59Yeah, today, you see on TV now all kinds of ads for all the kind of mushroom-derived teas that

14:09can be good and healthy.

14:13One of those, again, lessons you need to learn.

14:17There's good, there's bad in everything, and you've got to learn to make those distinctions.

14:27And the Allman Brothers, I'm 63, so I enjoyed them growing up.

14:35I was never a huge fan.

14:37And, of course, Greg, Mary, and Cher.

14:40Well, I can separate the person from the art, and I loved her art, too.

14:47Don't like her at all, but that he married her, I'm like, oh, boy, I don't know what's really going

14:56on there.

14:59But, anyway, again, you're not here to talk music.

15:04You're here to talk backpacking.

15:07Without spoiling the book, obviously, we want to promote the book and people to read it.

15:14But, outside of the things we talked about so far, the health aspects of it, things you learn about life

15:26in the literal and figurative while out there, what other things are you trying to convey?

15:34Well, so, the reason why I chose backpacking is because, first of all, my experiences, many experiences.

15:41As I considered writing...

15:44Try to use it as a metaphor.

15:46It is.

15:47It is.

15:47Like, I like to joke, though, I'm far too clever as an author for metaphors.

15:52I use metasixis, but I'm fine.

15:56Anyway, continue.

15:58Well, so, when I was considering, you know, the idea of the book, so, first, I got righteously angry when

16:04the Supreme Court, you know, basically said that they had to allow homosexuals in to Boy Scouts of America.

16:10As Scout leaders.

16:11And then, of course, that was followed by all the sexual assault cases, which is torn down.

16:16BSA is an institution.

16:17It's no longer got Boy in the name.

16:19They've got girls getting Eagle Scout Awards.

16:21What a shock all that happened.

16:24And that watered down and diminished the significance of my Eagle Scout Award and all those before in the first

16:30hundred years of scouting.

16:31Because you've got to remember, the Scout Oath says, you know, we're to help other people at all times.

16:37You know, we have a duty to God and country to keep ourselves physically strong, mentally awake, morally straight.

16:42Well, good grief.

16:43Who could be against an organization like that that's trying to help boys, you know, who are selfish and blaming

16:50and immature, you know, grow into men with a Scoutmaster like I had.

16:54And so my really motivation of the book was to a defense of scouting.

17:00Well, there were things going on in the elections because, look, you're called, you know, Christitutionalist.

17:05This is about politics.

17:06And I've been deeply involved in politics for most of my life.

17:10I was a delegate to the National Convention for the Republican Party in 2008 and then again in 2024.

17:17So for 16 years in there, I was heavily, heavily engaged in politics trying to affect positive change, you know,

17:25for our country and culturally and legislatively and everything else.

17:28But nothing more fruitless in my whole life than all the time, treasure and talent I spent on that.

17:37But so I said, I'm going to write a book and this was during COVID, you know, and everybody's like,

17:42oh, my God, you know, I said, I'm going to do something, you know, productive.

17:45And then I also realized that as I began to listen to people, you know, we watch jaywalking, you know,

17:53and he's out there on the street and these people are excited about being on TV, proving how ignorant they

17:59are.

17:59They couldn't name the vice president of the United States and they're laughing about it.

18:03It's like, I would not want to be on television showing what a fool I am.

18:07But nevertheless, so I began to think, you know, I don't know if there's 51 percent of the population that

18:15thinks it like I do, that we can win elections anymore.

18:20And so I believe like the Jews and the diaspora, you know, we got punished, you know, for being undisciplined

18:26and for falling away and everything.

18:28And so, you know, they're over in Babylon and they're weeping, you know, for their lost Israel.

18:34And but you know what?

18:34They wrote things down and it's called the Bible.

18:37And so what I decided was, look, all right, the Boy Scouts doesn't exist as I knew it anymore, but

18:42I'm going to write something down that maybe 200 years from now, they'll go, you know, they used to have

18:47this organization called BSA and they used to put out a pretty good product in terms of a young man

18:52at the end of an Eagle Scout.

18:54So I wanted to kind of capture it.

18:56I also wanted it to be a Christian book.

18:59And then I talked to Gary Thomas, who wrote the book Sacred Marriage, and he's he sold a million copies

19:06of it.

19:06And he was our writer in residence at our church, a big, big megachurch here in Houston.

19:11And I went and I talked to him about being an author and I said, look, this is what I

19:15want to do.

19:15I want to write this book.

19:17And he said, well, you know, I don't know if it should be a memoir because, you know, nobody knows

19:22who David Savage is.

19:23Why would anybody want to read your memoir?

19:25I'm like, well, you know.

19:26I say that all the time to people who want to author a book.

19:29Right, right.

19:30So he said, but, you know, men's ministry, you know, there's everybody is like finger wagging and you should do

19:35this and you should do that.

19:37And he goes, but if you could put some humor in it, that would really be novel and unique.

19:42And so that's what I did.

19:44My book is kind of a hybrid.

19:46It is a memoir because I had decided to self-publish.

19:49I didn't want, you know, a traditional publishing company to be able to edit out pieces of my life.

19:55You know, that I thought were important.

19:57And so, you know, originally, you know, you know, I wanted it to be largely, you know, supportive of the

20:04scouting ideals, you know.

20:05And so and then I also have been very involved in an organization called Better Man, and they have a

20:11definition, a biblical definition of manhood that says, you know, a real man, a biblical man rejects passivity, accepts responsibility,

20:20leads courageously, and then lives his life for the greater reward, God's reward.

20:24And so that was the manhood definition of my house with my three sons.

20:28And so, you know, so there's kind of an amalgam of Better Man and BSA that really are of a

20:35thread throughout the whole book with a backpacking metaphor.

20:38Because, you know, as a Christian, and this was from John Eldridge's book, Wild at Heart, because, look, you know,

20:46every man needs three things, a will to obey should be God's will, in my opinion, a woman to love

20:52and a work to do.

20:54And so, you know, so we begin, you know, our adult life is like this journey, this quest for authentic

21:00manhood.

21:00And it's like, all right, I'm starting on a backpacking trip, and I've got my map, and I've got my

21:05point plotted, I'm at the trailhead, and this is where I plan to go.

21:09And if you stay on the trail, usually you can have a better experience, you know, but when you get

21:14lost in the wilderness, and you're backpacking, there's some pretty serious negative consequences that can happen rather rapidly.

21:22And you can be just 20 yards downhill from the trail, you know, and not even know it's up there,

21:28and be stepping over deadfall and, like, you know, just hopelessly lost.

21:32And it happens all the time, you know.

21:35Near a poisonous snake, a grizzly around the corner, you might startle that, then reacts to protect its cub and

21:44attack you.

21:45You said a couple things in my how to write a book and get it published, because I try to

21:52encourage authors who just don't know where to start.

21:57Yes, it can be your memoir, but write it fictionally speaking, because, again, indeed, no one knows or cares who

22:07John Doe is,

22:08but the story of John Doe, fictionalized, still has a lot of value and is more palatable, more marketable, and

22:20going back further, it's what I call, you said about the people on TV.

22:26Yeah, those segments, oh, they drive, it's the esteem over substance dumbing down of America our indoctrination factories have become.

22:36They are so enthused about themselves and willing, as you said, to show just how dumb they are, and they

22:50don't, they'll even view that segment again and still not get it, be totally useless.

22:58It coined the toxic masculinity BS, and turned a bunch of people into soy boy, do nothing, build nothing, into

23:12toxic empathy.

23:14I forget the author of that book, and I did a show reviewing that book, because, indeed, we've gone to

23:22toxic empathy, bend over backwards, whatever, even if it's negative consequences, yeah, go ahead and do it anyway, that sad

23:34part of today.

23:36It is, indeed, because, you see, a lot of people want something for nothing, and if I'm a victim, if

23:43I'm a victim of some kind, you and I don't have much hair, maybe we should, we're victims of the

23:49hair follicle challenge society or whatever, and it's like, so maybe I can get something for nothing just because I'm

23:55a victim, and that, unfortunately, has been reinforced over and over and over, and so everybody's searching for new ways

24:01to be a victim, you know, so that I can get something for nothing.

24:05And then you've got this whole, you know, well, first it was Ask Siri, and now Ask Alexa, and now

24:12ChatGPT, and this, basically, a total loss of critical thinking, and really, knowledge, because ignorance is always the enemy, and

24:22with all of the ability to know so much today, we have become so much more ignorant because of sloth.

24:30We're just lazy, and so, you know, why should I go research something or investigate or debate when I'm not

24:38sure about something?

24:38I'm going to make this dramatic stand on what Siri told me or Alexa told me, and somebody else is

24:45writing that algorithm, so that's what's dangerous about it, is that somebody's writing the program, and it's not God, and

24:51there are agendas, and so this is a big danger of this craze and this waste to AI as fast

24:58as we can, you know, to eliminate jobs and, you know, do everything.

25:02So I've written pieces, I've done a couple shows, AI indeed is a furthering of the dumbing down of society.

25:11All this patting people on the back and encouragement.

25:16Yeah, be happy in the stupid you are.

25:21Don't put forth effort to pick yourself up.

25:26Indeed, the victimhood mentality, and you said it right, the right word there is sloth.

25:32Ignorance may feel like bliss to some at the time, but as you said, it's not bliss, it's dangerous, it's

25:43unhealthy, ultimately, and it's part of the reason why Jesus said the poor will always be among you.

25:51It has nothing to do with economics or governance, although it ties into it to a degree, Atlas Shrugged, more

26:03and more climbing in the cart, expecting to be pulled, and eventually there aren't enough people to be able to

26:10pull the cart, but human nature, laziness, especially if someone will keep giving them things they don't have to work

26:19to earn.

26:20Right.

26:22But we've deviated a little from backpacking.

26:26Here we go again.

26:27Hey, my audience knows.

26:30I know, I read it.

26:31Yeah, I don't strip shows, whatever rabbit holes open, we dive down them.

26:37Well, I hadn't heard of the certs, Candy, in a long time when you said it's like the certs commercial,

26:43two shows in one, and I used to carry a pocket full of those certs myself.

26:48I'm 65, so we're peers.

26:50I'm your elder by a couple of years.

26:53But yeah, yeah, I've used that analogy metaphor for the show, indeed.

26:58Two, two, two minutes in one, two shows in one.

27:02For those listening on audio or viewing in the transcript, I'm doing a fishing reel it back in kind of

27:13motion on the screen.

27:14Let's reel it back into backpacking.

27:18What other life lessons do you want?

27:22Again, not wanting to give too many spoilers away.

27:26We want them read.

27:28Oh, what is the actual full official title of the book?

27:33We've not done that yet.

27:34The title is The Savage Path, my last name, my path, my life.

27:41And then the subtitle is A Memoir of Modern Masculinity.

27:45So it's just, it is a memoir.

27:47It's my story.

27:48It's a true story.

27:49There's facts.

27:50There's even photos in my book that go along.

27:53And then chapter by chapter, I just give little lessons that highlight a certain quality.

27:59It's kind of like a fable, you know, where you got like a moral at the end of the, I

28:04don't really explicitly say it, but there's little nuggets in there for those who have ears to hear and, you

28:09know, are trying to find those.

28:11And so, you know, there's little lessons learned and like, there's just one good story.

28:16So I was, you know, a ranger at Philmont and I go backpacking there.

28:20And my job as a ranger is to meet a Boy Scout troop, a crew.

28:25They all have to be 14, you know, as a minimum age requirement that I go through their health, physicals

28:30and everything else.

28:31And then I kind of give them a shakedown on all the stuff they're carrying in the pack.

28:35And I sized up the boy and I, you know, I got to get his weight down to what he

28:38can carry.

28:38And then I guide them for three days on a 10-day itinerary.

28:43And then I train the senior patrol leader, the boy leader, to lead that group for the next seven days.

28:51And then I hike back to the, you know, base camp for the back country by myself and go pick

28:57up another crew.

28:59So I had dropped off, you know, this one crew.

29:03I'm hiking back, you know, you know, several miles.

29:06Sometimes you get a day off and you go get to mess around, visit your friends in the back country.

29:10But I'm hiking back toward the base camp and I see this kid and I could tell he was like

29:15a runaway, you know.

29:17So what happens sometimes is adults, well, meaning, you know, they come and they try to sneak their 13-year

29:24-old son, you know, on.

29:25Because they're the parent and they're going on.

29:28And I said, you know, he can't go.

29:30He doesn't get to go with your crew.

29:32So he has to go to a scout camp for adults that are at the training center.

29:37And he's with boys he doesn't know and other kids.

29:40It's miserable for him.

29:41So this kid had had enough and had gone over the wall, as I said, you know.

29:45So he's walking toward me, you know, on this trail.

29:48He's got nothing.

29:49His boot laces are untied.

29:51His head's down.

29:51His face is red.

29:52He's hot.

29:53And, you know, I kind of size him up.

29:55Because he didn't learn on the bunny trail.

29:57He wants to go right to the mountain slope.

30:00Yes.

30:00Yeah, he wanted to go be with his people and not, you know, be isolated in this other camp.

30:06And so I knew I wasn't going to talk him into anything.

30:09So I just said, hey, you know, what are you doing?

30:12He goes, I'm running away.

30:14I'm not staying at that place.

30:16I'm going to go find my crew.

30:18And I was like, well, that's great.

30:18You know, do you know where they are?

30:21And then he got to thinking about it a little bit.

30:22Well, not really.

30:23And I said, you got a map?

30:25No.

30:26You got a compass?

30:28No.

30:30And he's getting more worried, you know.

30:32And do you have any water?

30:34No.

30:35Would you like some?

30:36And I gave him some of my canteen.

30:38And then he's kind of like really starting to think his decision over a little bit.

30:42And I go, do you have any food?

30:43And he goes, no.

30:44And so I gave him a couple of granola bars.

30:46And I'm said, here you go, man.

30:48I'm sure you'll be all right.

30:49And then I just kept walking, you know, and he was in the other direction.

30:52And then he made it about 100 yards.

30:54And then he turned around and ran after me and said, no, take me back.

30:58Take me back.

30:58And that's the point.

31:01It has to be their decision.

31:05Exactly.

31:06Forcing a conversion to Christ by force doesn't save their soul.

31:13Yeah.

31:14So you Christian Bible thumpers, leave me alone.

31:18I'll pretend I'm a Christian.

31:19A Christian doesn't save their soul.

31:21They have to really, truly want the conversion.

31:26That's exactly right.

31:27And I knew because I was just like that boy.

31:29In fact, you know, that chapter that I talk about that was when I was, you know, graduating,

31:35was kind of considering my career professions.

31:38And, you know, I'd gotten dumped by my girlfriend.

31:40And I was really, you know, heartsick about it.

31:43And I was, you know, you're like your first real love, you know.

31:45And then when you're just, you know, dumped and, you know, you're just crushed, you're

31:50like, I hate women.

31:52And, you know, and so I was kind of running away from real life myself at a different level

31:58of maturity.

31:59And I recognized that in myself.

32:01And that's why I wrote about that, you know, in that chapter using that illustration, you

32:05know, a backpacking illustration.

32:07And many, many other times when you get lost and it's like, okay, so I was out with the six

32:12pack and this was our very first trip.

32:14This guy is like the senior vice president of Petrochemicals.

32:18The other guy's like vice president of refining.

32:20And, you know, they're my customers, like many levels up.

32:23And I'm 15 years younger than them.

32:25And they decided, hey, we're going to go to Estes Park, Colorado.

32:29You know, we're going to hike in the Wymanoush wilderness.

32:31All right, great.

32:32So we get off, you know, we come from Corpus Christi, which is sea level, you know, and

32:37then we start hiking the same day, which is already a bad idea.

32:41And then we didn't have a cap on elevation.

32:43We knew we were going to be going over this pass.

32:46Like, I think it was supposed to be the second day.

32:48But anyway, 13,000 feet of elevation.

32:50So from sea level to 13,000 feet.

32:52And then, of course, the air gets thinner.

32:55You can be high quicker and all that stuff.

32:58All that.

32:58So we're, you know, we're hiking along.

33:00And then, you know, well, we have a USGS quad map, 1954 photo revised.

33:06And there's all kinds of trails on the ground that aren't on the map, you know.

33:11And I'm like, wow, you know, this must be all these elk hunters around here.

33:13And we don't know which ones are trail.

33:16And these other ones aren't on the map.

33:17And so we're going to have to look at the contour lines and the drainage and everything else.

33:22And, man, I was sure I was like, I was better at the map reading.

33:25I was a better ranger and everything else.

33:26But these executives are like, they're type A personalities, man.

33:29They're used to being, you know, right.

33:31And I wasn't going to piss them off because they're my customers.

33:34And it was just like I did with the boys.

33:36You know, I said, I'll just let them hike in the wrong direction.

33:38I can hike the miles until they figure it out.

33:41Again, they need to learn about themselves.

33:44So we're at this fork in the trail, you know.

33:47And I'm saying, you know, topo, water, drainage, everything screams left to me.

33:50And they're like, no, I'm sure it's right.

33:51And so, okay.

33:53You know, so we hike on maybe another hour and a half.

33:56And then we're up at a real high point, this real pretty lake.

33:59And then that guy, Adolph was his name.

34:01He goes, Dave, you know, let me see the map.

34:03And I'm like, here it is.

34:04We're not even on it anymore.

34:06And he, you know, gave me this frost look.

34:09And then he sat there and really studied it for like 30 minutes.

34:13And finally goes, man, I think you're right.

34:17And then it was like, okay, well, now we have to make a decision.

34:20And the right decision always is to go back the way you knew, you know, and get on the trail

34:26before where you left off.

34:27But we decided, you know what, to save time.

34:30Take your chance on another uncharted path.

34:33We didn't even go on a path.

34:35We bushwhacked.

34:36We went through scrub willow, snowshoots, and everything else.

34:40And anyway, he ended up getting like acute mountain sickness, severe altitude sickness, near stroke, blood pressure, and everything.

34:47I had to hike 18 miles and go down to that little narrow gauge railroad between Silverton and Durango, you

34:54know, and catch this train and get an EMT and a sheriff to four-wheel drive up there and rescue

34:59him.

35:00And, you know, and so, again, well, there's a lesson, you know.

35:03It was like we knew what we should have done.

35:06You know, we should have just hiked back, you know.

35:08But that's not what we did.

35:10And then he got dehydrated and he got – but he's still – you know, the obstinance was amazing because

35:15I had my Philmont Ranger book, you know.

35:17And he goes, Dave –

35:18Steam over substance.

35:19Exactly.

35:20Example.

35:21It started raining on us.

35:23You know, everything's wet.

35:24It's heavier.

35:24He goes, Dave, if you could just carry my tent.

35:26And, you know, so now my pack's like 90 pounds.

35:29And I said, look, if you want to die out here, that's okay.

35:33But I'm not going to die for you.

35:34So I'm not going to carry your wet tent and everything else.

35:38And this is what we have to do.

35:39And, by the way, I pulled out my first date book.

35:41And I said, this is what it says under, you know, altitude sickness, which then moves to acute mountain sickness.

35:47And it's like – then, you know, he got cold and wet.

35:50So he had hypothermia.

35:52And then it was like death.

35:54You know, it was actually printed in the book as like the next thing.

35:56And I said, you're just worn away, man.

35:59And so finally, you know, he was feeling bad enough that we did that.

36:05So those are two just little stories that are from the book that are pretty engaging.

36:11But it's, you know, the narrative of the whole book, backpacking, is when you get off the path and you

36:17get outside of God's will, you're going to have a tougher time of it.

36:21And then you begin to experience these negative consequences, you know, and you get nicked up and you get, you

36:27know, scratched and, you know, scared by snakes or bears or whatever.

36:31And then you're like, you know, I better get on the path because it's just easier walking.

36:35It's just – it's how God made me to be.

36:37It's how I'm gifted with my talents.

36:39And that's really the story, you know, for everybody.

36:43But, again, it's just a suggestion.

36:45No one likes to be lectured to.

36:46Everyone likes to hear a funny story.

36:48You know, it's like our pastor, he had this great quote.

36:52He goes, you know, everybody likes to learn, but no one likes to be taught something.

36:57No, you're absolutely right.

36:59And we repeat mistakes we could have easily learned through others' experience.

37:06But it goes back to, again, the esteem over substance.

37:10People feel really good about their lacking abilities and unable to learn from others to live within our capabilities and

37:22means.

37:23And your subtitle helps make it beyond the, oh, David Savage, why would I read his memoir, into knowing, yeah,

37:33there are life lessons that can relate to everybody here.

37:36So, again, the full book title.

37:40The Savage Path.

37:42And then the subtitle is A Memoir of Modern Masculinity.

37:45And there's got 4.7 stars out of 5 rating and 105 reviews.

37:52So, you know, that's not just people I could coerce into it.

37:58So, oh, trolls buy.

38:04Page spam.

38:06I'm joking, people.

38:08I'm joking.

38:10So, yeah, add Amazon and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

38:14Yes, yes, yes.

38:15It's on Amazon.

38:17Actually, I think what I'd like to tell your audience, your listeners, if you're curious about anything else, I also

38:23have a podcast.

38:24And my podcast is called Wrestling with the Inner Man.

38:28And that is because the first fight we face each and every day is what Joseph and I have been

38:35talking about.

38:35And that's the fight between our selfish, sinful nature and our Holy Spirit-inspired divine nature.

38:40So, you wake up, you've got that little devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other like an

38:44animal house.

38:45And, you know, who do you listen to?

38:48And so, the podcast, all of my guests, you know, have been through some kind of a major dilemma, whether

38:55it's, you know, a life-threatening illness, you know, financial, you know, bankruptcy, being cheated out of something, you know,

39:03addictions.

39:04You name it, I have about 133 episodes up and, you know, I'm quite proud of it.

39:11And so, Wrestling with the Inner Man and the book, The Savage Path, The Memoir of Modern Masculinity, you can

39:16find on one website.

39:18And the website is www.thesavagepath.com.

39:24Yep, that was, of course, my next and concluding question with every show.

39:31What's your website?

39:32You've already given it.

39:34But, yes, the other inability of most people's desire to self-reflect and be honest.

39:45They lie all day to others, including themselves, can't self-reflect and know one's own limitations and where need to

39:56improve and seek the improvement and seek help from above in doing that.

40:02The old Michael Jackson Man in the Mirror song or Rick Springfield prayer.

40:08I send a prayer to heaven for the chance to be a better man than a man I see in

40:14my mirror.

40:15But most people won't do that in their mirror and ask and recognize, yeah, I'm less than perfect and there's

40:25no such thing as perfect, but better is achievable, yes?

40:30That's true.

40:31And if you don't attempt anything and you don't fail, then you don't have that opportunity to reflect and go,

40:37okay, you know, why did I fail?

40:39Unfortunately, you know, like I've been through a divorce.

40:41There's a chapter in the book about that.

40:43And so, you know, I had to be honest and do a real assessment of, like, why did that marriage

40:50fail?

40:51Oh, it's all her fault.

40:52Well, yeah, that's what you think initially, you know.

40:57But if you consider marrying again, you know, most men would repeat that mistake.

41:03They're called rebounders, right?

41:04And so I didn't want to do that.

41:07You know, that's horrible because that's usually what happens is then you, history repeats itself and you make the same

41:13mistakes over and over because you haven't learned from them.

41:17Yeah, and for the benefit of the transcript, you won't hear when I said it's all her fault.

41:25They and I are laughing.

41:26We're laughing.

41:27It's a joke.

41:29It's a point, a lesson to learn.

41:32Remember the adage, point of finger, three of your owner pointing right back at you.

41:38So, anyway, thank you, David Savage, for coming on.

41:43I appreciate having you here.

41:46It was a great discussion.

41:48Thank you, Joseph.

41:49Appreciate it.

41:50And good luck with, you know, all your future episodes.

41:53Take care.

41:54God bless.

41:55All right.

41:56God bless you, too.

42:05Does God still speak today?

42:12He is in everything, in every way.

42:19In the growing trees, in every bird that chirps, dewdrops glistening, whispering in every breeze, those all his works.

42:39Real question is, are you listening?

42:49Does God still speak today?

42:54I hear it in the trees, in every bird that chirps, in the things you let me see.

43:05Dewdrops glistening on the leaves at dawn, those all his works to me.

43:16All day long, when I look and listen, you are never found.

43:27Every little living thing says who you are.

43:33He is in everything.

43:35He is in everything.

43:40He is in every way.

43:43He is in every way.

43:47In every breeze that moves.

43:51In every heart that wakes.

43:55He is in everything.

43:59He is in everything.

44:03In the growing tree.

44:05In the line of the sky.

44:08In the tiny sparrow cutting through the light.

44:11What I thought was small.

44:13Turn in speaks so loud.

44:15You are here around me now, you are here right now

44:19When I look and listen, you are never far

44:24Every little living thing says who you are

44:31He is in everything

44:33He is in everything

44:38He is in every way

44:42He is in every way

44:45In every breeze that moves

44:49In every heart that awaits

44:52He is in everything

44:56He is in everything

45:01Open my eyes again

45:05Teach my soul to see

45:08The holy and the simple

45:12The wonder and the leap

45:16If I ask you where you answer with my words

45:22In the work of your hands

45:27In the whole wide earth

45:32He is in everything

45:36He is in everything

45:39He is in every way

45:43He is in every way

45:47And every breeze that moves

45:50And every heart that awaits

45:53He is in everything

45:58He is in everything

46:01He is in everything

46:05He is in everything

46:09Sometimes

46:10Sometimes

46:10As it may be in metaphors

46:13As riddles

46:15In rhyme

46:16He is speaking

46:20Are we still listening

46:23In these fallen times

46:49In the dust of my own mess

46:53You still call my name

46:56You still call my name

46:57Hands shaking

46:57Heart unsteady

46:59You don't look away

47:02You stand in the middle of it all

47:05Closer than my fear

47:09I was lost in the crowd

47:12Then you drew me near

47:15And every walk falls down

47:18When you step into the room

47:21Every lie goes quiet

47:25When I hear you move

47:28My soul leans in

47:31My knees get away

47:34I know who you are

47:37I know what stays

47:42God among us

47:45God among us

47:48You are here

47:49You are here

47:54God among us

47:58God among us

48:01Oh, comes a light

48:04Right here

48:05You are here

48:07You are here

48:10You are here

48:16You touch the broken table

48:20You touch the bent and bruised

48:23The morning finds the ashes

48:26And they bloom for you

48:29You hold the names

48:31I can't say

48:33You carry what I hide

48:36When I'm too weak

48:38To stand up

48:39You keep me alive

48:42And every walk falls down

48:45And every walk falls down

48:46When you step into the room

48:48Every lie goes quiet

48:52When I hear you move

48:55My soul leans in

48:57My knees give way

49:01My knees give way

49:02I know who you are

49:04I know what stays

49:08God among us

49:11God among us

49:14You are here

49:16You are here

49:17You are here

49:19You are here

49:22You are here

49:23God among us

49:24God among us

49:27Hope comes alive

49:30Right here

49:31You are here

49:33You are here

49:36You are here

49:42Savior in the shadows

49:45King with nail scarred hands

49:49You don't run from my ruins

49:52You rebuild the land

49:55Here in the ache

49:58Here in the blaze

50:01I lift my voice

50:05I lift my voice

50:05And I keep saying

50:08God among us

50:12God among us

50:15You are here

50:16You are here

50:18You are here

50:21God among us

50:25God among us

50:28Hope comes alive

50:30Right here

50:32Right here

50:32You are here

50:35You are here

50:37You are here

50:59Ooh

51:00Metaphors, what a bore, I'm far too clever

51:05For those whatevers I use

51:09Meta-sixes

51:12To turn my trickses

51:14Your analogy is lame, way too tame

51:19Move over and let me show you how it goes

51:30Metaphors, what a bore, I'm far too clever

51:37For those whatevers

51:41I bend my meaning, clean and quick

51:44I don't hint at apples when I just mean brick

51:48I like my language, sharp as chisels

51:52Words like razors, words that sizzle, oh yeah

51:56I use Meta-sixes

51:58To turn my trickses

52:03Step my senses

52:06Flip my fixes

52:09Oh, oh, oh, say it straight

52:11Till the line untwists

52:17Meta-sixes

52:21Meta-sixes

52:28Take one thought, split it in six

52:32Taste, touch, sight, sound, smell the sixth

52:35Run it through rhythm till logic clicks

52:39That's how I shuffle my little mind tricks

52:43Hey, I don't paint clouds when I mean rain

52:47I count each droplet by its name

52:53I use Meta-sixes

52:55To turn my trickses

52:59Stack my senses

53:02Flip my fixes

53:06Oh, oh, oh, say it straight

53:08Till the line untwists

53:14Meta-sixes

53:17Meta-sixes

53:20Meta-sixes

53:44Meta-sixes

53:48Through this all it remains

53:51I still love you

53:54Pray for you too

53:59Now not that you'll return

54:02New flame for you

54:05To yearn

54:09Cause now looking back I see

54:26You said goodbye

54:29You made me cry

54:31You tried to spare my feelings

54:34Claimed it was you, not me

54:38Send me reeling

54:39I felt inadequate

54:41Holding my breath

54:43Hoping you'd change your mind

54:45And come back

54:49Then it hit me slow

54:51Right under the skin

54:54All the things you said

54:57Did not add up within

55:00I kept looking back

55:02For a softer side

55:05But the truth stood there

55:08In black and white

55:11Moment of clarity

55:15It cut right through me

55:19Moment of clarity

55:21Now I can see

55:24You lied to a void

55:27Saying my name

55:30I failed us, not you

55:34That's the whole game

55:36That's the whole game

55:39I was waiting on

55:41A throw to swing wide

55:43Beating every pause

55:44Like it might decide

55:45If you'd take it back

55:47If you'd call me home

55:48But you kept that truth

55:50Buried alone

55:51I wore the blame

55:53I wore the blame

55:53Like a heavy coat

55:54Till the mirror spoke

55:55And I finally woke

56:02Then it hit me slow

56:04Right under the skin

56:08All the things you said

56:10Did not add up within

56:12I kept looking back

56:15For a softer side

56:18But the truth stood there

56:21In black and white

56:25Moment of clarity

56:29It cut right through me

56:32Moment of clarity

56:34Now I can see

56:38You lied to a void

56:41Saying my name

56:43I failed us, not you

56:46That's the whole game

56:49And I still felt love

57:01Even through the sting

57:04But love ain't a shield

57:07From the way you lead

57:10I won't chase your shadow

57:12I won't beg for proof

57:15I was hurt, yes I was

57:18But I was a fool

57:20Only fooling myself

57:23Moment of clarity

57:25It cut right through me

57:28Moment of clarity

57:31Moment of clarity

57:32Now I can see

57:34Now I can see

57:35You lied to a void

57:37Saying my name

57:40I failed us, not you

57:42That's the whole game

57:45Moment of clarity

57:47You said goodbye

57:49It made me cry

57:51Moment of clarity

57:53You tried to spare my feelings

57:56You tried to spare my feelings

57:58I bailed you away

57:59Claimed it was you, not me

58:02I bailed you away

58:06Sent me reeling

58:11I felt inadequate

58:15Hope you change your mind

58:19And come back

58:22Eventually

58:24The moment of clarity came

58:29You lied to avoid

58:33Saying my name

58:38Because it's actually true

58:41I failed this night

58:44Like and subscribe

58:47To the Constitutionalist Politics Podcast

58:50And share episodes

58:52We need your help

58:54Thank you for having tuned into

58:57Another Constitutionalist Podcast Show

59:01I really appreciate that you stopped by

59:05Again, please like, share, subscribe

59:08We need you to help spread

59:11The Constitutionalist Movement

59:14Thank you again

59:15Take care

59:16God bless

59:18Love you all

CTP (20260826 S4EAugSpecial4) David Savage Backpacking For Real And As Life Metaphor BTS/SP video

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended