What’s the Point?
A lot of post-modern thought has gone into symbolic reality. Advances in technology has allowed us to do many things simply for the sake of doing it. Overcoming challenges has moved from being a necessity to a luxury. When you do something, what’s the point?
I’ve been learning about a lot of physical stuff lately. I’ve been practicing parkour. I started doing yoga according to this chart. I’ve also been looking into bodyweight exercises by Christopher Sommers and Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee. Something I love about these disciplines is there is a higher reason for the things they do.
What is Natural?
I read a news article a little while ago that claims our ancient ancestors were able to easily complete physical feats that rival even the best of modern day athletes. Back then, humans faced more physically demanding challenges, which formed their bodies to have these amazing powers.
In our modern culture, the physical demands have been severely lessened, so some look back to this “natural” state as the ideal. How awesome would it be if you could jump your own height? It’s almost as if this state is what we were meant to be, but we have somehow deviated from our destiny and ended up in a wimpy state.
It’s easy for me to think that there is this “natural” ideal state that I should seek to attain, but I know that my body is naturally very adaptable. A “fit” state is the state that best allows me to overcome the obstacles of my environment. If those obstacles are easy to overcome, I can be an amorphous blob and technically be “fit” for my environment. I am learning from my physical disciplines that form functionality is the goal, not a sleek body.
Symbolic Luxuries
We work out to be “fit”, when the truest sense of fitness is our ability to survive. In most cases, our level of fitness has little impact on our survival and is largely a symbolic gesture. Whereas before, man would be “fit” to hunt down food or evade enemies. Now we are fit for fitness sake. It is symbolic.
Since engaging challenges in our lives is now mainly optional, my purpose is somehow weakened because I no longer have to overcome to live. If I am no longer required to pass, I will give up much easier. Luxuries are an indulgence, which I can easily lose interest in. This makes for a weak life.
If form follows function and I am self-indulgent, I will become that amorphous blob. I do not have the kind of challenges that shape me. I will be lacking of character, because character is no longer needed. In a way, advances in technology have made my life obsolete.
I fear these symbolic challenges that we indulge because they are lacking of purpose. I will have a number of things I can do, but they do not work together. I have been working out in the gym, trying to get larger muscles for the sake of getting larger muscles. It wasn’t until I started doing yoga that I realized that I can barely touch my fingers behind my back.
Re-Engaging Challenges
In Simulacra and Simulation (the book where Neo hides the disk in the beginning of the Matrix), Baudrillard states that there is an evolution of reality. In the beginning, a simulation represents reality: playing a game helps us train for real-world challenges, such as war. As time goes by, the simulation becomes disjoint from the reality, until the simulation is for the purpose of itself: playing a game for the sake of the game.
The problem with the symbolic as reality (creating your own world) is that it weakens any sense of truth. Baudrillard believed that the final evolution was the realization that there is no truth. If you and I cannot agree upon reality, then communication breaks down. Even I cannot trust my own perceptions, which takes me out of flow.
If I allow myself to indulge in any of my desires, I will be lacking of any central purpose, dividing myself. In order to strengthen my sense of reality, I need to tie in my purpose for challenges to a centralized reality. For now, this means learning to engage in the physical world by overcoming physical obstacles (via parkour) and physically interacting with people (learning bar tricks has been successful so far). I am tied into my environment, rather than isolated.
We live in a symbolic world where people try to understand everything via symbolic perception of the mind. There is only one truth we must pursue and that is to find our inner self. It will take time, it will takes awareness, it will take courage, it will take discipline and most important, we need to chose it.
Good point of view Daryl.
I have been going down the same path for about six months now, and the realization for the purpose of many things for me was in line with what you stated.
I had a traditional background of lifting weights to be “big”, but for what? If you’re big for a purpose, than that makes sense, but I had no reason to pursue size. I started running.
An old knee injury kept me only being able to run about a mile at a clip and then I would have pretty intense knee pain. That’s when I ran into a buddy of mine who is a former Ranger and has “no knees” from jumping out of planes and other flying objects in his military career. He simply said to me, “run barefoot”. I thought he was nuts, but he looked serious enough for me to research it. So now it’s been about 3.5 months of running barefoot, or basically barefoot in my Vibram Five Fingers. I switched from roads to trails a little over a month ago and am now running in trail races at the 5k level on a regular basis.
Best part. I’ve yet to have one single itch of knee pains…sounds crazy doesn’t it?
It fits in with everything you say. What was this body built for? What do I want to be able to do with this body? I’ve shed 11lbs and greatly improved my flexibility through yoga. I’m feeling better today than I have in years. I’m doing what I think my body was built to do, and it’s been totally enjoyable!
Thanks for your insights, I really like your perspectives.
Awesome. You use Vibram Five Finger Shoes? I heard about them from Tim Ferriss and was thinking about getting me a pair. I notice that I bunch my toes together when I land my jumps, which is bad. I’m thinking the five finger shoes would be great in helping me to spread out my toes.
It’s one of the major benefits of the shoe Daryl. Your toe’s get to naturally splay when you land, whether it be from jumping, walking, or running. Shoes teach your feet to act as if you have one giant toe and it really effects your natural balance.
If you pick a pair up, and you’ve been wearing shoes your whole life – go slow. You need to build up the strength shoes have made you lose in your feet all those years and you will get sore at first. Your arches will get stronger than they’ve ever been, after all the arch is one of the strongest structures we can use in architecture, why would we wear shoes that put a support into that arch, effectively destroying it’s structural strength?
Good luck – I check your blog often, so let me know if you pick up a pair!
I love this post! I’ve always been a runner and I’ve long been a fan of Bruce Lee and his fitness methodology. I’ve been practicing parkour since March and try to get my yoga in when I can. My predominate method of training is indeed bodyweight training. It dumbfounds me to see people with outlandish amounts of muscle that can’t even make full functional use of that mass. I always ask, “So what happens when life throws you a challenge that you can’t win by being perfectly stabilized and pushing in a single, controlled direction?”
Being an athletic female, I’m often asked what I do to gain & maintain my physique. My answer? “Nothing in particular. It’s just a side effect of working to improve my functionality.”
Also, I have to get on board with bolo about the Vibrams. Along with faithfully practicing the Chi-running method, I try to keep my footwear to a minimum. The extra strength and flexibility has worked wonders for my ultra-high arches.
Again, awesome post!
Haha, cool. Yeah, when I started doing yoga again, I got a back cramp trying to do the bridge. There was a point in my life when I was able to touch my foot to my head backwards.
Cool that you use the Vibrams too. My girlfriend is going to get me a pair for our anniversary and I didn’t even tell her about it. It’s like she’s into my mind O_o