Do you answer ‘yes’ to these questions?

January 08, 2014

The Glenn Beck Program

On radio this morning, Glenn delivered a passionate monologue about the men he most admires and the qualities they share. More often then not, Glenn looks up to people who have overcome adversity and battled through trial after trial. While bad things happen in life, the people who are able to pick up the pieces and use the experiences for good are the people who triumph.

“I was thinking over the holiday of writing a book about men I admire. I admire the men who have just trial after trial after trial in their life and become better and better men,” Glenn said. “Do the bad things in your life destroy you? Yes, for many people, they do. [When] bad things happen in your life, you make the choice: I cannot get out from underneath them, OR that is not going to define who I am.”

The way Glenn sees it the bad things that happen in life are what facilitate the good things that eventually follow.

“There is no success without failure. There is no success without pain. There is no success without making mistakes. I have made a ton of mistakes. I have had colossal failures in my life, but they don't define me because inside of each of those mistakes and inside each of those failures is a valuable lesson,” Glenn explained. “Lessons I ignored a good portion of my life because I was too busy whining… I was too busy getting bitter… And getting bitter was not the lesson. Getting bitter only led to more trouble.”

Gauging success is different for everyone, and it is not always clear what makes one person more successful than another. But Glenn asked the following questions to his listeners this morning, and he told them to answer them honestly:

Do you think you have it bad?

“I want you to answer this question honestly, right now, in your own head. Say it out loud, if you are in the car by yourself,” Glenn said. “Do you have it bad? If you answered yes, then I can guarantee: You do. If you said, no, then, brother, you don't.”

Do you think someone else deserves more than you do?

“Answer it out loud. Do you think someone else deserves more than you do [because] then they do have ore than you,” Glenn reasoned. “I guess we should have asked: How do you define ‘more’? More money? More success? More happiness? More fulfillment? What God are you worshipping? My God does not promise me success and riches. My God promises me happiness, peace, and fulfillment. That's all I need. That's all I want.”

Are you going to be successful?

“If you answer yes – you will be. If you answer, ‘Well, I don’t know a lot of things have to happen...’ Nope. If you answer, ‘Well I've got this one person on board…’ Nope. You won't be successful. It's about you. And it's about perspective,” Glenn said. “There is always going to be somebody out there that is going to be prettier, more handsome, taller, not quite as fat. You will always look at someone and want their humor, their hair, their face, whatever it is… But have you ever considered somebody looks at you and says, ‘I wish I had…’ Most people don’t think that.”

While we all probably admire someone else for various reasons, we often don’t stop and consider that people might admire us for a whole other set of reasons. There is something inside of each of us, and we must learn what it is and use it to the best of our ability.

“There is something in you, and you may not even see it… The people who you think are better [than you] don't have your experiences. They don't know what you know. They can't imagine what you imagine. You have a secret weapon that they don't. It's you. Keep it in mind. Keep it in your heart.”

The road to success will not be without its hurdles, but Glenn believes the more you trip and the more you fall, the stronger you become.

“You are going to trip. You are going to fall. The world is going to seem like it's absolutely stacked against you. And if you are really fortunate, it's going to seem like the world is stacked against you all the time,” Glenn said. “You will say to God, many times, ‘Can you cut me a break here. I'm doing my best. Can you cut me a break? What more do you want from me?’ That's what you will feel if you are really fortunate.”

“But with proper perspective and knowing the secret weapon you were born with, you, the miracle of you, you will make it. You will be happy,” he concluded. “I don't even say ‘trust me’ on this. I say: With the proper perspective on who you really are, with the right understanding of who you really are, I guarantee you will fulfill everything that you were supposed to fulfill. And you will be happy.’”

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE

Has free speech been twisted into a defense of violence?

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Celebrating murder is not speech. It is a revelation of the heart. America must distinguish between debate and the glorification of evil.

Over the weekend, the world mourned the murder of Charlie Kirk. In London, crowds filled the streets, chanting “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” and holding up pictures of the fallen conservative giant. Protests in his honor spread as far away as South Korea. This wasn’t just admiration for one man; it was a global acknowledgment that courage and conviction — the kind embodied by Kirk during his lifetime — still matter. But it was also a warning. This is a test for our society, our morality, and our willingness to defend truth.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently delivered a speech that struck at the heart of this crisis. She praised Kirk as a man who welcomed debate, who smiled while defending his ideas, and who faced opposition with respect. That courage is frightening to those who have no arguments. When reason fails, the weapons left are insults, criminalization, and sometimes violence. We see it again today, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Charlie Kirk’s life was a challenge. His death is a call.

Some professors and public intellectuals have written things that should chill every American soul. They argue that shooting a right-wing figure is somehow less serious than murdering others. They suggest it could be mitigated because of political disagreement. These aren’t careless words — they are a rationalization for murder.

Some will argue that holding such figures accountable is “cancel culture.” They will say that we are silencing debate. They are wrong. Accountability is not cancel culture. A critical difference lies between debating ideas and celebrating death. Debate challenges minds. Celebrating murder abandons humanity. Charlie Kirk’s death draws that line sharply.

History offers us lessons. In France, mobs cheered executions as the guillotine claimed the heads of their enemies — and their own heads soon rolled. Cicero begged his countrymen to reason, yet the mob chose blood over law, and liberty was lost. Charlie Kirk’s assassination reminds us that violence ensues when virtue is abandoned.

We must also distinguish between debates over policy and attacks on life itself. A teacher who argues that children should not undergo gender-transition procedures before adulthood participates in a policy debate. A person who says Charlie Kirk’s death is a victory rejoices in violence. That person has no place shaping minds or guiding children.

PATRICK T. FALLON / Contributor | Getty Images

For liberty and virtue

Liberty without virtue is national suicide. The Constitution protects speech — even dangerous ideas — but it cannot shield those who glorify murder. Society has the right to demand virtue from its leaders, educators, and public figures. Charlie Kirk’s life was a challenge. His death is a call. It is a call to defend our children, our communities, and the principles that make America free.

Cancel culture silences debate. But accountability preserves it. A society that distinguishes between debating ideas and celebrating death still has a moral compass. It still has hope. It still has us.

Are Gen Z's socialist sympathies a threat to America's future?

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In a republic forged on the anvil of liberty and self-reliance, where generations have fought to preserve free markets against the siren song of tyranny, Gen Z's alarming embrace of socialism amid housing crises and economic despair has sparked urgent alarm. But in a recent poll, Glenn asked the tough questions: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from—and what does it mean for America's future? Glenn asked, and you answered—hundreds weighed in on this volatile mix of youthful frustration and ideological peril.

The results paint a stark picture of distrust in the system. A whopping 79% of you affirm that Gen Z's socialist sympathies stem from real economic gripes, like sky-high housing costs and a rigged game tilted toward the elite and corporations—defying the argument that it's just youthful naivety. Even more telling, 97% believe this trend arises from a glaring educational void on socialism's bloody historical track record, where failed regimes have crushed freedoms under the boot of big government. And 97% see these poll findings as a harbinger of deepening generational rifts, potentially fueling political chaos and authoritarian overreach if left unchecked.

Your verdict underscores a moral imperative: America's soul hangs on reclaiming timeless values like self-reliance and liberty. This feedback amplifies your concerns, sending a clear message to the powers that be.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

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Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn's Show Prep

Do you answer ‘yes’ to these questions?

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

Has free speech been twisted into a defense of violence?

Celebrating murder is not speech. It is a revelation of the heart. America must distinguish between debate and the glorification of evil.

Charlie Kirk’s life was a challenge. His death is a call.

For liberty and virtue

Are Gen Z's socialist sympathies a threat to America's future?

Without civic action, America faces collapse

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Taking up the torch

Start small and local