Mike Sarraille, a retired Navy SEAL, says victim mentality is one of the biggest problems facing America today. (Fox News Digital)
I'M A NAVY SEAL GUILTY OF BRUTAL TRAINING
Sarraille left the military in 2018 and started several businesses, including Legacy Expeditions, which coordinated the record-setting Triple 7 mission last month, during which a group of special operations skydived onto all seven continents in just over six days. He recently released his second book, "The Everyday Warrior," which aims to help readers shed their own victim mentality and build positive habits.
"Being a warrior is about a mindset, not carrying a gun," Sarraille said.
Sarraille doesn't blame young people for adopting a victim mentality — he said it's been taught to them.
"The problem is us. It's my generation," he said, adding that politicians are setting a poor leadership example and that the public education system is ingraining victim mentality in kids, particularly through Critical Race Theory.
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While victim mentality itself is hard to measure, an American Psychological Association survey found members of Gen Z were significantly more likely than other generations to report their mental health as "fair" or "poor," and 91% of young respondents said they had experienced "at least one physical or emotional symptom because of stress."
Young people are also much more likely to support cancel culture than older generations, according to the Manhattan Institute.
"We're not creating a generation of warriors," Sarraille said. "Instead, we're creating victims who think they're entitled to certain things and that nothing is their fault."
To reverse course, Sarraille said American families need to ensure their children are learning positive attributes at home and in the classroom.
Americans "need to look heavily at our education system" to make sure children are being prepared to face adversity, Sarraille said. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Sarraille challenged those stuck in a cycle of victimhood to look in the mirror, ask themselves how happy they are, and have the courage to change.
"Take it one day at a time, one step at a time, and incrementally expose yourself to change you, incrementally expose yourself to discomfort things that make you uneasy," he said. "After a year, you're going to look back and you're going to see how many steps you've taken, how many victories you've incurred, failure that you've learned from, and your life will be in a better position."
"But nobody can help you but you," Sarraille said.
To hear more of Sarraille's interview, click here.
Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.