Initiation at Twelve: The Path to Becoming a Man

Lance Cpl. Tylon William, a team leader with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, patrols through Trek Nawa, Afghanistan, just before sunrise, during Operation Black Tip, Oct. 14, 2010. Black Tip was a one-day clearing operation to disrupt enemy activity, during which the Marines, partnered with Afghan soldiers from the 1st Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps, detained four men suspected of combatant activity and removed a weapons cache from the area. William is from Compton, Calif. (Official Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mark Fayloga)

My son turned twelve this year, entering a phase of rapid transformation both physically and emotionally. Recently, he made a harmful decision that deeply hurt his best friend—a decision he immediately regretted but struggled to reconcile. This moment was a powerful catalyst for reflection, responsibility, and growth.

Across cultures, twelve has long marked a significant rite of passage. Human tradition universally acknowledges this pivotal stage of life—an initiation into greater awareness, deeper responsibility, and the first steps toward adulthood.

As his father, I felt compelled to guide him intentionally through this critical phase. Thus began what we've affectionately termed "Man School," an ongoing regimen designed to help him navigate the complexities of growing up with courage, clarity, and integrity.

Central to this training is our adaptation of the Rifleman's Creed, now titled "Master This Vessel," emphasizing that his body is his closest ally, a vessel he must protect, understand, and honor. Through discussions about the Seven Deadly Sins and the corresponding Seven Heavenly Virtues, we're exploring moral grounding in a practical and resonant way for his age. He's learning to recognize anger, pride, envy, and their counterparts—humility, kindness, patience—not just as abstract concepts, but as choices shaping his everyday life.

We're also aligning these lessons with insights from spiritual traditions like the chakras, teaching him to understand how physical health and emotional states connect to the body's energetic centers. His growing awareness of his natural circadian rhythms helps ground these lessons, teaching him that rest, mindfulness, and physical care are integral to his emotional maturity and decision-making.

In guiding my son through this intentional initiation, I'm reminded that becoming a man isn't a one-time event—it's a lifelong process of mastering oneself. By consciously entering this journey at twelve, he'll carry these lessons into adulthood, equipped with wisdom, compassion, and strength.

Master this Vessel

This is my body. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

My body is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

My body, without me, is useless. Without my body, I am useless. I must use my body true. I must care for it better than my enemy who is trying to harm me. I must protect it before he harms me.

My body and I know that what counts in life is not the obstacles we face, the noise of critics, nor the pain we endure. We know that it is the effort and strength within us that count.

My body is human, even as I am human, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its capabilities, and its limits. I will ever guard it against the ravages of neglect and illness. I will keep my body clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other.

Before God, I swear this Creed. My body and I are the defenders of my being. We are the masters of our health. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is mine and there is no enemy, but peace.

Adapted from "My Rifle: The Creed of a United States Marine" by Major General William H Rupertus (1942).