Forged in combat and synthesized to handle the opportunities and challenges of the 21st Century, Meditations of an Army Ranger describes a practical, modern day philosophy to guide us all in our daily lives. As the book outlines, you must do more than talk about your philosophy; you must live it, exemplify it, and apply it in a consistent and focused manner to make the world a better place.
As a culture, we currently tend to seek little more than motivation from our Special Operations warriors and in this, we are missing the mark, as they have far more to offer us. From ancient times, we have built our human foundations upon the philosophy of warriors. Not on their philosophy of war, but on their philosophy of life. How they saw the world. The ideas of democracy, service, education, and love that evolved from earlier generations of human beings who had seen combat. Philosophy, to these ancient warriors, was not a luxury reserved for the privileged, but rather a tool; a necessity required not only to fight better, but to live better. The time is now ripe for the return of the warrior-philosopher. We are hungry for it: the wisdom and guidance which can be brought to us by someone with firsthand experience of the real world.
What does it really take to lead other human beings? If we are to seek a true substance matter expert on the topic, it behooves us to ask someone who has not only led, but who has led under the most adverse conditions. War is perhaps the greatest teacher of human nature; as it affords human beings the opportunity to witness and experience both the highest pinnacles and the deepest nadirs of our existence often simultaneously. Soldiers in combat are put into situations that force them to ask themselves questions that are central to philosophy, and these are not small questions. They penetrate deeply into the soul of what it means to be a human being. Philosophers choose to ask them; warriors have to ask them.
All this being said, Meditations of an Army Ranger is not a book of pure philosophy. It takes an unintimidating approach to deep, rich, and thought-provoking content. The result is a practical, accessible, and readily applicable work of contemporary thought that both draws upon the past and suggests new directions for the future. Men and women of action, take note. Meditations of an Army Ranger establishes a practical roadmap for purposeful action and thoughtful personal growth. Its aim is not to motivate, but to inspire. It is not a philosophy for warriors; it is a philosophy that serves human beings. That is all warriors are, at the end of the day; human beings with a highly specified skillset. But human beings.
Read, understand, and apply in order to honorably lead and serve in all walks of life.
JC Glick - LTC (Ret) JC Glick is a leadership and culture consultant who advises at the strategic, operational, team and individual levels. He has a strong background in leadership development, executive personnel assessment and selection, strategy, coaching, counseling and developing innovative solutions to complex problems.
JC served in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer for 20 years, primarily in Special Operations and Special Missions Units with more than 11 combat tours. Since retiring from the military, JC has brought his innovative and unconventional thoughts on education, leadership and resiliency into the private sector, consulting with Fortune 500 companies, the NFL and professional sports teams including the Denver Broncos, the Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte Hornets.
JC recently wrote and published the thought-provoking, groundbreaking book A Light in the Darkness: Leadership Development for the Unknown, which has been implemented by major corporations, including the NFL and Microsoft, and endorsed by leaders in the field of education, business and the military.
JC recently developed the Prodromos Developmental Model, a capacity-building system designed to develop people and leaders for the future, which is outlined in his first book. His methods have been featured in Forbes Magazine and the Huffington Post and his work has been referenced in Forbes, Inc. and Entrepreneur. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, holds a Masters Degree from the Naval War College and was a Senior Fellow in the Service Chief's Fellowship at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He has earned 3 Bronze Stars, 3 Meritorious Service Medals, a Joint Commendation Medal, and the Order of Saint Maurice. He is also an inductee of the University of Rhode Island ROTC Hall of Fame, as well as a Liberty Fellow, of The Aspen Institute and the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Dr. Alice Atalanta, Ph.D.
When Dr. Atalanta, an Ivy League graduate and single mom of two, found herself facing off in the amateur boxing ring against an opponent 15 years her junior just released from prison for armed robbery, it was not what anyone in her former life would have expected. But Dr. Atalanta's life defies expectations, as she attacks the self-limiting beliefs that can hold women back. A USA Boxing athlete, Alice is a single mom, sexual assault survivor, and sought-after commentator in the fight world on the topic of women's personal defense. She is a certified SPEAR System instructor with world-renowned combatives expert Tony Blauer, and she has also trained extensively with former Navy SEAL Dom Raso of Dynamis Alliance.
Dr. Atalanta holds a Ph.D. and two Master's Degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master's Degree from the University of Virginia, where she was an All-American athlete and snowboard team captain. She has extensive teaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels, having instructed at both universities as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs. After completing her academic work, Dr. Atalanta directed her attention towards serving the Veterans community, spearheading fundraising efforts for the SEAL Future Fund and Special Operations Warrior Foundation. In addition to having written and published her own research on Aristotle's Ethics, she now specializes in working closely with writers from high-performance backgrounds. Her clientele run the gamut from former Navy SEALs to the President of Floyd Mayweather's $100m Money Team brand. She has presented her own scholarship at Harvard University as well as various other academic conferences nationwide, and her work is currently featured in Havok Journal.
