It can be tiring. . . . .
. . .when you think about what others may feel regarding your views. That constant concern regarding what you may say, or do, or not say, or not do, that will somehow affect another in a negative way. That bullshit protestant guilt.
I was raised around people that fed on that. Their whole lifetime spent judging other peoples lifetimes. Always winding up more angry, bitter, and lonely as they age. While passing along their dis-ease to the youth of the family.
No thanks.
If you are radical, or different from the norm, expect some flack from the peanut gallery. Seems that as a human being you attract or repel people based on any quality that may be unique.
The lesson for me is in remembering which occurs is NOT my business.
As an individual I am an athlete by profession, but an artist by birth. My heart has always been in the creation, and understanding of things. With competition itself being a rest stop along the way. But that is me as an individual, and can in no way serve as a means to judge the route anyone else needs to walk. Don't think that in stating my own, I am therefore judging yours. That is confusion.
Have you ever been assaulted by some crap piece of entertainment, music, literature, or Art, and asked yourself. . ."who makes this garbage?". . .answer = people who could not, or did not, put any HEART into their work. When a natural artist plays that tune, paints that picture, or writes that piece, it has a sincerity to it which cannot be faked, mimicked, or stolen. It just IS.
The crap art comes from non artists. People who desire the "image" of an artist, but lack the artists soul.
The same holds true for everything, including the natural athlete. The one who competes for the love of the event. And not for some false sense of pride, glory. . .image.
There are many people who have used, or will use, athletics as a beautiful vehicle for transcendence.
And there are others who use competition as a way to pass on all the sickness of society, religion, and dominant culture.
Which side of athletics an individual experiences will be determined by two things. One, whether or not it is natural for them to do it, or something they are doing for another reason. And two, the environment the athlete finds themselves in once they begin the whole process.
A good human can create a healthy atmosphere, one that allows natural athletes the freedom to play. And others the freedom to say I'd rather go do something else. While at the samtime letting both types know you will love them regardless.
Or. . . . we can muddy up all the water with our own judgments. Making everything hard to see, and uncomfortably dark. I do that myself a lot!
See, I think that somewhere - at some point, aggression and pride where linked conceptually to strength and honor.
It doesn't take much introspection - realization to see that this is obviously backwards.
It also seems pretty easy to see that this false connection has always served a useful purpose in terms of manipulating large groups of human beings. So I believe anytime it can be linked in culture, it is linked in culture. And this is why. . . It helps the those in power get people to do really stupid things.
I realize a lot of people don't see it as that, and think of it more as harmless entertainment. And that is exactly why I believe it works so well.
If you add Nationalism to it, you have an awesome recipe for getting people used to, and ready for, atrocities and the sacrifice of their own children for the profit of a small group. (Preferably the sacrifice of kids from poor/working class families of course)
Anything that involves objectifying your opponent, or aggressive posturing, seems obviously sick once an individual sees it for what it is, and what it has been/is used for on a larger level.
Now hear this. . . .that is no WAY a judgment of those athletes that challenge themselves by testing the limits of a particular body.
Whether that challenge is a forward step, or a backward step in terms of evolution as a being, can only be determined by the individuals own actions. Does it help them become kinder, gentler, and more understanding. Or does it cause them to become more of a self absorbed, judgmental prick?
AND. . .that question is only healthy when it is applied to MYSELF, and becomes another distraction the moment I start wondering whether it affects some OTHER person in a negative or positive way!
Damn that is an easy one to foget isn't it?!
Isn't it also clear that the aggression-pride paradigm bleeds down from the top and infects kids playing ball, grade school coaches, the whole culture. Through media in all it's forms, and the natural desire of young people to be thought of as "normal". . . .ie: defined by what they see on tv, in magazines, around them at school, movies, advertisements (which are EVERYWHERE now) etc.
I have heard people say 'boys' compete naturally. But is that a biological fact, or just more patriarchal bullshit from a sexist era? I wonder sincerely? Because we would not know unless we saw it present under various circumstances, and over a fairly large sample of children in different lands, cultures, family types, religions, and belief systems.
Isn't it obvious that all kinds of things are heavily influenced by society and the cutltural ideas of the time? Things we don't usualy think about, but just consider "normal"?
Speaking for myself, I had no interest in competition as a little boy. It was taught to me, against my own real desire, by the society I was raised in. How about you?
Given the nature of evolution I have no doubt that there where/are many reasons for the development of competition amongst males in society. That fact is also clear in the animal kingdom.
But even so we have to be really careful to know that we are speaking in terms of often, or sometimes,. . . .shades of grey, not black and white pronoucements.
Unless of course we want to be exclusive? Maybe we do.
This is why the only healthy way IMO is play.
And I think the healthiest thing a tribe can do for it's young, individual athletes is encourage a courageous rebellion. Helping the athlete realize that they can be humble and strong enough to drop out of that societies absurd and upside down definitions. I'd like to see more kids encouraged to rebel against that whole bullsh*t scene. But then again, I tend to be a bit of a radical.
Please do not forget, it is all just my opinion. . . .all just THOUGHT. . .no more, no less, then other THOUGHTS. . . .so get your own. You can find them in the same place I got mine.
I like optimists, but only real ones!
All rebels are optimists. All mystics are brave. Traditionalists are by nature pessimists. And conservatives by nature are scared.
I think in a few generations our grandkids will look back on our society and how we related aggression (fear) and pride (shame), to sports, as something that was actually "positive", and find it really strange. Just like we have a hard time understanding why our ancestors did certain things. This is why in truth I feel like an optimist on the subject. Future generations, given the benefit of hindsight, always seem to sort out our own idiocy, given enough time.
Probably way to radical for you, but f**k it, that is not my business.
My business is BEING my true self. And. . . .hopefuly encouraging everyone within my circle of awareness to do the same through example, and not judgement. Without causing them any undo worry that their belief, system, or idea, will somehow cause me to pull back from them. Or to care about them less. My business then is helping others around me to have the strength to speak their own unique soul, while reminding them that regardless of how that manifests I will love them.
Optimism is knowing that is enough. Practice is remembering it.
I was raised around people that fed on that. Their whole lifetime spent judging other peoples lifetimes. Always winding up more angry, bitter, and lonely as they age. While passing along their dis-ease to the youth of the family.
No thanks.
If you are radical, or different from the norm, expect some flack from the peanut gallery. Seems that as a human being you attract or repel people based on any quality that may be unique.
The lesson for me is in remembering which occurs is NOT my business.
As an individual I am an athlete by profession, but an artist by birth. My heart has always been in the creation, and understanding of things. With competition itself being a rest stop along the way. But that is me as an individual, and can in no way serve as a means to judge the route anyone else needs to walk. Don't think that in stating my own, I am therefore judging yours. That is confusion.
Have you ever been assaulted by some crap piece of entertainment, music, literature, or Art, and asked yourself. . ."who makes this garbage?". . .answer = people who could not, or did not, put any HEART into their work. When a natural artist plays that tune, paints that picture, or writes that piece, it has a sincerity to it which cannot be faked, mimicked, or stolen. It just IS.
The crap art comes from non artists. People who desire the "image" of an artist, but lack the artists soul.
The same holds true for everything, including the natural athlete. The one who competes for the love of the event. And not for some false sense of pride, glory. . .image.
There are many people who have used, or will use, athletics as a beautiful vehicle for transcendence.
And there are others who use competition as a way to pass on all the sickness of society, religion, and dominant culture.
Which side of athletics an individual experiences will be determined by two things. One, whether or not it is natural for them to do it, or something they are doing for another reason. And two, the environment the athlete finds themselves in once they begin the whole process.
A good human can create a healthy atmosphere, one that allows natural athletes the freedom to play. And others the freedom to say I'd rather go do something else. While at the samtime letting both types know you will love them regardless.
Or. . . . we can muddy up all the water with our own judgments. Making everything hard to see, and uncomfortably dark. I do that myself a lot!
See, I think that somewhere - at some point, aggression and pride where linked conceptually to strength and honor.
It doesn't take much introspection - realization to see that this is obviously backwards.
It also seems pretty easy to see that this false connection has always served a useful purpose in terms of manipulating large groups of human beings. So I believe anytime it can be linked in culture, it is linked in culture. And this is why. . . It helps the those in power get people to do really stupid things.
I realize a lot of people don't see it as that, and think of it more as harmless entertainment. And that is exactly why I believe it works so well.
If you add Nationalism to it, you have an awesome recipe for getting people used to, and ready for, atrocities and the sacrifice of their own children for the profit of a small group. (Preferably the sacrifice of kids from poor/working class families of course)
Anything that involves objectifying your opponent, or aggressive posturing, seems obviously sick once an individual sees it for what it is, and what it has been/is used for on a larger level.
Now hear this. . . .that is no WAY a judgment of those athletes that challenge themselves by testing the limits of a particular body.
Whether that challenge is a forward step, or a backward step in terms of evolution as a being, can only be determined by the individuals own actions. Does it help them become kinder, gentler, and more understanding. Or does it cause them to become more of a self absorbed, judgmental prick?
AND. . .that question is only healthy when it is applied to MYSELF, and becomes another distraction the moment I start wondering whether it affects some OTHER person in a negative or positive way!
Damn that is an easy one to foget isn't it?!
Isn't it also clear that the aggression-pride paradigm bleeds down from the top and infects kids playing ball, grade school coaches, the whole culture. Through media in all it's forms, and the natural desire of young people to be thought of as "normal". . . .ie: defined by what they see on tv, in magazines, around them at school, movies, advertisements (which are EVERYWHERE now) etc.
I have heard people say 'boys' compete naturally. But is that a biological fact, or just more patriarchal bullshit from a sexist era? I wonder sincerely? Because we would not know unless we saw it present under various circumstances, and over a fairly large sample of children in different lands, cultures, family types, religions, and belief systems.
Isn't it obvious that all kinds of things are heavily influenced by society and the cutltural ideas of the time? Things we don't usualy think about, but just consider "normal"?
Speaking for myself, I had no interest in competition as a little boy. It was taught to me, against my own real desire, by the society I was raised in. How about you?
Given the nature of evolution I have no doubt that there where/are many reasons for the development of competition amongst males in society. That fact is also clear in the animal kingdom.
But even so we have to be really careful to know that we are speaking in terms of often, or sometimes,. . . .shades of grey, not black and white pronoucements.
Unless of course we want to be exclusive? Maybe we do.
This is why the only healthy way IMO is play.
And I think the healthiest thing a tribe can do for it's young, individual athletes is encourage a courageous rebellion. Helping the athlete realize that they can be humble and strong enough to drop out of that societies absurd and upside down definitions. I'd like to see more kids encouraged to rebel against that whole bullsh*t scene. But then again, I tend to be a bit of a radical.
Please do not forget, it is all just my opinion. . . .all just THOUGHT. . .no more, no less, then other THOUGHTS. . . .so get your own. You can find them in the same place I got mine.
I like optimists, but only real ones!
All rebels are optimists. All mystics are brave. Traditionalists are by nature pessimists. And conservatives by nature are scared.
I think in a few generations our grandkids will look back on our society and how we related aggression (fear) and pride (shame), to sports, as something that was actually "positive", and find it really strange. Just like we have a hard time understanding why our ancestors did certain things. This is why in truth I feel like an optimist on the subject. Future generations, given the benefit of hindsight, always seem to sort out our own idiocy, given enough time.
Probably way to radical for you, but f**k it, that is not my business.
My business is BEING my true self. And. . . .hopefuly encouraging everyone within my circle of awareness to do the same through example, and not judgement. Without causing them any undo worry that their belief, system, or idea, will somehow cause me to pull back from them. Or to care about them less. My business then is helping others around me to have the strength to speak their own unique soul, while reminding them that regardless of how that manifests I will love them.
Optimism is knowing that is enough. Practice is remembering it.
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