New York Times reports on a discord Hero

Brothers,

Today, the New York Times reported in an

about a 20 year old gamer who was a moderator for a discord community. “…one night, an adolescent boy called him over voice chat, and started sharing how lonely and depressed he was. He spoke with the boy for an hour, trying to talk him down and give him hope. That call led to more like it. Over time, he developed a reputation as an unofficial therapist on the server. By the time he left Discord a year or so later, he’d had about 200 calls with different people, both men and women, who spoke of contemplating suicide….it was the boys who seemed the most desperately lonely and isolated. On the site, he said, he found “a lot more unhealthy men than unhealthy women.” He added: “With men, there is a huge thing about mental health and shame because you’re not supposed to be weak. You’re not supposed to be broken.”

There’s a lot more in the article to reflect on, so I recommend reading it. But the fact that the NYTimes is reporting on it and desperate for solutions to this crisis is telling.

Some Statistics:

Over a quarter of men under 30 say they have no close friends. This is supposed to be the time when it’s easy to make friends.

Teenage boys now spend two hours less a week socializing than girls and they also spend about seven hours more per week than their female peers on screens.

Men, we need to save our sons. And their friends. Launching healthy boys into schools and friendships is literally life-saving for their lonely and isolated peers.

Lord, have mercy and make us effective in reaching your beloved children.