Find this episode on YouTube:
Father Hans has spent years reaching young men on the edge — men who are economically stuck, spiritually fragmented, and slow to trust. In this conversation, he names what’s really going on: a generation that woke up inside a world already infected with “narcissistic spiritual cancer,” and a culture that gave them consumer identity instead of a soul. They go deep on:
What “boomerism” actually means — and whether the criticism is fair
Why resentment and resignation will hold young men back no matter how justified they feel
The difference between ethnos and race, and why it matters for how we form community
Why politics can’t answer the questions that only the purification of the heart can
The “black-pilled” trap — and how to actually fight evil (hint: it’s not screaming at the machine)
What it looks like to pull someone back from the cliff — Fr. Hans has done it, literally
“I’m a recovering materialist. That’s what I am.” — Fr. Hans Jacobse This is Heavy Things Lightly — conversations about faith, culture, and the lives of real men trying to live with integrity. If this hit, share it with someone who needs it. 🏷️ Sponsored by Conrad’s Beef Jerky — loyalty not guaranteed.
0:47 Intro & Sponsor (Conrad’s Jerky)
2:31 Meet Father Hans Jacobse
3:38 What Is “Boomerism”? Defining the Young Men’s Critique
5:46 The Anger Parallel: Young Men Today vs. Black Men in the ‘80s
9:20 The Orthodox Response to Resentment and Anxiety
12:00 Healing Through Adversity — Men Must Lift the Weight
15:47 Why Fr. Hans Left the Culture Wars
17:14 “Open Your Eyes” — The Call That Launched St. Paisios Brotherhood
20:00 Fear of Becoming a Compliant Consumer: The Identity Trap
21:30 What “Black-Pilled” Really Means — and Why It Fails
23:50 How Orthodoxy Actually Heals: Purification, Not Critique
26:40 What Breaks Through the Granite Wall: The Love of a Brother
31:45 No Politics Rule — Why Politics Is a Lagging Indicator
36:50 Nationalism, Ethnos, and Living Where You Are
43:45 What Held America Together — and When It Collapsed
45:35 Young Men Born Into the “Narcissistic Spiritual Cancer”
48:00 Why Fr. Hans Was Drawn to This Work (His Own Story)
53:00 When Government Can’t Answer What Only the Heart Can
54:55 Fr. Hans’s Closing Vision: Orthodoxy Flourishing
57:45 Outro — First Things Foundation & the Tamada Network
__
Conrad’s Deli - The best jerky you’ll ever have ➜
https://conradsdeli.com/
🔥 Support First Things Foundation field workers:
⭐ Use promo code “FIRST THINGS” for 10% off.
✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities
📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation
🍷The best dinner party you’ve ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/
🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.org
✒ Substack:
__ Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band
ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf
🏖️ Tailormade tours that give back: https://www.gratitude-travels.com/hom

Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.