April 23rd rolls around each year with little more than a murmur. No bank holiday, no fireworks, no national pride to match our Celtic cousins in Wales, Scotland or Ireland. Yet this day—St George’s Day—commemorates something powerful: a man who stood against chaos, stared down the dragon, and defended what mattered.
It’s worth remembering who St George was. Strip away the sanitized school assemblies and lukewarm history lessons and you’re left with the raw bones of a story that still resonates.
St George was a Roman soldier. Not a poet, not a bureaucrat, not a professional victim. A warrior. He served with distinction under Emperor Diocletian—until the day the state demanded he renounce his Christian faith. He refused. He chose truth over comfort, and paid for it with his life. But that wasn’t the end. The myth grew, and with it, the legend of a man who did what men are supposed to do: stand firm, protect the innocent, and fight the beast.
The dragon? It’s symbolic, yes—but don’t mistake that for fiction. Every age has its dragons. For George, it may have been persecution and tyranny. For us? Weakness masquerading as virtue. Cowardice parading as tolerance. The slow erosion of strength, duty, and responsibility in favour of convenience, consumption, and comfort.
Men today are told to be “softer,” “more open,” “less toxic.” But St George didn’t ask the dragon how it felt. He didn’t organize a conference to discuss coexistence. He took up his spear and got to work. That’s the energy we need in this strange, drifting age.
Because masculinity—real masculinity—isn’t toxic. It’s protective. It’s assertive. It’s disciplined. It builds homes, defends borders, leads families, and creates order from chaos. A man is not defined by how well he avoids offense, but how well he shoulders burden.
So on this St George’s Day, don’t just raise a pint and scroll past the sentiment. Ask yourself: where is the dragon in your life? What are you tolerating that should be confronted? What are you building, leading, protecting?
Men of England—this is your day. Not to apologise for who you are, but to be who you are. In your home. In your work. In your soul.
Fly the flag. Tell the truth. Slay the dragon.
Happy St George’s Day.