A Man Above Time

Cernovich's Interview with Tucker

Photo by Niklas Rhöse on Unsplash

A few years ago, I heard a story outlining three types of men: The man in time; the man against time; and the man above time. Since then, I find myself placing people into one of those categories—men and women. Let me give you a brief description of each.

The man in time is the person who’s living as a normie. Family, job, predictable routines—probably likes college or professional sports. Maybe he’s involved in a local civic or church group. He’s largely checked out of how the world is unfolding around him. He keeps his head down and focuses on the here and now and tries not to engage in topics or causes that might disrupt his sense of normalcy. Plenty of great people in this category.

The man against time feels a sense of pressure to do something. He’s a striver. He must act in whatever way he can and with whatever means he’s been given, intellectual, influential, financial or otherwise, to move history in a direction he deems preferable. He writes, warns, speaks, protests, and often involves himself in the realm of politics.

The man above time has transcended. He is finally able to view the present through the lens of the eternal. He sees where he can have the greatest effect on those around him and gets to work knowing his life is finite but that his choices—virtuous or dishonest—will outlive him. He is more able to see his life from above and focuses his energy on loving what lasts.

I recently watched the interview with Mike Cernovich on Tucker Carlson’s show. To be honest, I don’t tune in to Tucker that often, but I’ve followed Cernovich for a few years now, and I find him thoughtful. The interview did not disappoint, and parts of it have stuck with me days after I watched. From what I can tell, Cernovich may have fallen into the man against time category in the past, but now he is more of a sage and seems to have a higher level of consciousness and a real ability to see what we should hold onto and what we should let go of—what’s temporal and what’s eternal.

It’s tempting to analyze and remark on multiple points during the interview, but two I think are worth drilling down on: what he shared about parenting and the duty of parents to “close the loop” and his, conscious or unconscious, nod to Boethius.

I don’t know Cernovich’s personal history or any real details about his childhood other than what he alluded to during the interview. My takeaway is that it was a difficult childhood. But what struck me is his ability to stand outside and above those negative experiences and understand what he can do in every parenting moment to do what his parents did not. “It’s how you close the loop.” He gave teaching moment examples he’s used with his own children. He noted that having compassion and understanding in parenting, especially if you weren’t attuned to or understood as a child, closes the loop. He gave hope to those who did not experience great parenting; he held up a light for those wandering in parenting darkness.

Maybe Cernovich has read Boethius. I don’t know. He did not use the term “wheel of fortune” from The Consolation of Philosophy, but he certainly understands that life ebbs and flows—that it’s never static. He encourages people not to become consumed with the depression or frustration that disappointment and failure bring, but to accept that you’re in the sh*thouse only temporarily. “This too shall pass” sounds trite in the moment or season of suffering, but those times are forging you into a better, more real person. Just gotta keep pressing onward and upward.

I know people have their opinions on Cernovich based his past, which he’s been pretty honest about from what I can tell. Some still find things about him they don’t like or agree with—fine. No one is going to make you watch the interview and change your mind.

But if you’re attempting to understand yourself, God, your place in history, and the current moment, I think Cernovich’s interview is worth watching. Go watch and listen to a man above time for yourself.