The teenage years are some of the most challenging and defining for a young man. As if wading through copious fields of expectations to fit in, excel, and prepare for life aren’t enough, each young man must fulfill this phase on a social stage with a changing body that is anything but private, predictable, or forgiving. It’s during these times of drudgery that thoughts of abandonment, loneliness, and hopelessness can envelope a young man’s mind. “Standard Issue” guides young men through the most impactful trials and towards mission preparation, assuring them there is an end, better things awaiting, and most especially that someone was there and just as awkward. What I craved most during my time as a teenage gargoyle was a companion that shared or understood my pressures and ailments. “Standard Issue” is that friend.
