Recently, the three-time Super Bowl champion Harrison Butker offered an inspiring speech for Georgia Institute of Technology graduates. The professional football player for the Kansas City Chiefs spoke about the importance of family and meaningful relationships in one’s life over the ever-increasing inward prioritization of self that members of Western society adopt.
The professional kicker pointed out a common observation in this day and age: There is something deeply flawed with the current state of society. Butker cited the pandemic several years ago, which had a variety of negative impacts as it disrupted normal patterns of life.
“I want to use today as an opportunity to take stock of your mission. Our culture is suffering. We all see it. It doesn’t matter which political persuasion you sit on, or whether you are a person of deep faith or not. Anyone with eyes can see that something is off. Studies have shown one of the many negative effects of the pandemic is that a lot of young adults feel a sense of loneliness, anxiety and depression despite technology that has connected us more than ever before. It would seem the more connected people are to one another, the more they feel alone. I’m not sure the root of this, but at least I can offer one controversial antidote that I believe will have a lasting impact for generations to come,” Butker said.
The football player offered a simple antidote to many of these problems in a concise but powerful statement. He instructed the crowd to “Get married and start a family.” Following this statement, Butker paused, allowing the crowd to applaud the message. “I will say this is the most important ring I have right here,” pointing to his wedding ring.
“Having kicked the game-winning field goal in both the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl, I have received a great deal of praise for these successes. They just announced that this Super Bowl was the most-watched football game of all time. And yet all of this happiness is temporary. And the truth is none of these accomplishments mean anything compared to the happiness I have found in my marriage and in starting a family,” he continued.
Butker continued illustrating the great importance of being a father and a husband, explaining its impact on future generations. He then denounced a broader societal trend of people living self-consumed lives, chasing their own pleasures over having committed relationships in the environment around them.
“My confidence as a husband and father, and yes, even as a football player is rooted in my marriage with my wife, as we leave our mark on future generations by the children. We bring into the world. How much greater of a legacy can anyone leave than that? Sadly, we are encouraged to live our lives for ourselves to move from one thing to another with no long term commitment to have loyalty for nothing but ourselves and sacrifice only when it suits our own interests. This loneliness is rooted in the lies being sold about self dependence and prioritizing our career over important relationships,” the professional athlete said.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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