Elijah’s Coin: A Message to Young Men at Risk

It is no coincidence that the setting for Elijah’s Coin is Blacksburg, Virginia.  I could have chosen Littleton, Colorado, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, or DeKalb, Illinois.  All four of these locales, and tragically many others like them, were plagued by young men consumed by rage and indifference to the lives and well being of those around them.  I am not a psychologist and I claim no special ability to decipher the cause of these actions.  My only credentials for my beliefs are my personal experiences and a life spent raising two children.

  By published accounts, the young men involved in each of these violent acts separated from their connection to society.  Reports of anti-social behavior and relationship difficulties with family members run throughout these tragic events.  In some cases the cause may be mental illness or chemical imbalance.  I leave to trained psychologists and psychiatrists to determine the medical cause and treatment. 

In some contexts, these acts of violence can be seen as the result of the young men’s struggles to be seen as significant.  Whether it is due to disproportionate performance in the classroom, the winner-take-all sports mentality, school bullying, or the domination and destruction of some simulated game technology, boys are increasingly at risk to engage in destructive and anti-social behavior.  Women are not immune to societal pressures and violence, but young men have been at the center of some of the most tragic events in our nation’s history. 

In each of the tragic headline shooting cases, the behavior displayed by the young men leading up to the events might have been a warning.  We all face moments of frustration, self doubt, and rejection.  When there is no connection to positive reinforcement or appropriate modeling actions, the downward spiral accelerates.

I don’t have a solution, I only have my thoughts.  The pressure on young people today and the distorted visions of “success” and “fame” have led to a selfish and self serving subculture.  Media and popular culture has fostered the “it’s all about me” generation.  This book tries to demonstrate another definition of success; one that involves selfless acts of kindness toward others.  I believe the “Give to Get” approach described in the book is something wired into humanity.  But even though it is wired in, it must be reinforced or the connection grows weak.  The message from Elijah’s Coin may seem soft and fuzzy to some, but if one person can be impacted who can create one relationship that in turn averts a “random” act of violence, then it will have surpassed all my dreams. 

With this thought in mind, I have started the Elijah’s Coin Charitable Foundation. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Elijah’s Coin will go to the foundation, which will in turn provide assistance to disadvantaged youth.  The non-profit organization will support programs designed to assist youth organizations in disadvantaged areas, to promote literacy efforts, to provide educational opportunities, to assist children and families struggling with long term illness, and to provide mentoring to adolescents and young adults. 

The message of the book is “Give to Get.”  As we all must, I begin with myself.  This book is the direct result of applying Elijah King’s directive: observe, think, believe, act.  I have done that.  I hope it can make some level of difference.