Daddish Heroism
Life is full of journeys, but it seems that the most egregious and eventful tales spawn from our young adult years. “The self-discovery you undergo through travel in your 20s is invaluable,” says Jemma Sbeg, author of A Roadmap of the Psychology of Your 20s. “The lessons learned and experiences gained during this transformative decade can profoundly shape your identity, values, and aspirations.” Not only that, but these are the years where epic lore is woven into your personal tapestry.
Full of vitality that inevitably fades with age, 20-something-year-olds have a unique ability to embrace adventure, forgoing the comforts of life for the sake of the plot. Your younger years are the perfect canvas for stories that transform into legend: like happily booking $10 hostel stays in third world countries, walking 15 miles to avoid paying for a cab, or trekking through snow and ice to reach the vantage point of some mountain peak. Inevitably, these kinds of risks will generate storytelling content that will bleed into future family dinner table conversations Forging this ironclad lore will dazzle and impress your future loved ones for generations. Recently, social media has provided a front row seat to these lore-making adventures, providing a platform for the “dad lore” trend that’s sweeping over everyone’s feeds. Aspiring to be as daring as their fathers once were, young people have embraced the opportunity to create the most insane and confidence-boosting backstory possible, posting ludicrous lore in real-time.
Memories made during your younger years will transcend the monotony and hard-earned comforts of settled adulthood. “[Specifically], happy memories are essential to our mental health,” according to Meik Wiking, author of The Art of Making Memories. "They strengthen our sense of identity and purpose.” The search for “dad lore” isn’t just a quest for future storytelling fodder, but is essential to the intrinsic growth of every young adult. The chase for lore has people feeling prematurely nostalgic, cementing adventure, risk, and achievement as the basis for a profoundly story-worthy life.
Via u/scottyfairno
Inspired by the reckless and rebellious stories of our parents’ youth, younger generations are weaving their own tapestry of crazy stories, seeking ways to make their own life story as legendary as possible. It may be partially for the plot, or even as an inspired piggyback of this viral “dad lore” trend, but ultimately, as adventure grips our souls, it’s tough to deny the draw of becoming a living legend.
American philosopher and psychologist of the 20th century, John Dewey, said that, “The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to feel important.” And as we chase that urge, whether we’re embarking on a rural bus ride through Southeast Asia or riding a camel through the sands of Egypt, suddenly our own silly legends carry meaning. Wanting our future children to ogle at us the way we did our own parents, the pursuit of “dad lore” has become synonymous with forging your own legends, thus, donning importance on the formative years of our young adulthood.
On top of that, with the crisp clarity of photo or video proof, future generations of children will never doubt the validity of our generation's dad-isms. While our dads allegedly saved a baby orca from the nets while deep-sea fishing in the Baltic Sea or claimed to have survived a tumble into a frozen chasm by snagging his backpack straps on a passing boulder, our generation will have concrete proof behind their stories. They’ll have tales about extreme alpinism, traveling to the strangest corners of the world, and daring to attempt the impossible—all captured on their smartphones and posted on social media.
Via u/monscor
The Call of the Wild
Whether driven by mania, ego, or the beckoning call of adventure, the potential for incredible dad lore lives in all of us. We only have one life to live, so while we’re still capable, we must challenge ourselves to push the boundaries of possibility—if not just for the stories to tell, but the enrichment and fulfillment that adventure brings. Before your bones ache, your hair thins, and your high school knee injury starts flaring up again, embrace the impossible and reach for the insane, because that’s what our dads would have done.
Via u/memezar