thoughts worth what you Paid
Inequalities exist, and why should they not? This reminds me of the concept of fairness. An instructor once said that "fairness is a man made concept that does not exist. It never has, never will and we should not expect it." That was the jest of it anyway. I've always tried to be fair as it was stressed as important in my family and therefore important to me. I still feel it's important and do my best to treat everyone in a fair manner, sometimes to my demise, but this is about inequality.
There are currently people protesting in some manner or another their perceived inequalities. Darn right I'm not equal with them. I work and therefore generally don't have time to protest. Besides, working people have to make money to pay for the services for those that don't work as well as themselves. You know, those basic necessities, food, shelter, and health care. We would be more equal if they did something productive for the receipt of those services besides cry about inequalities. In the same way fairness does not exist, equality will never exist. A not complete list of reasons for inequality include; IQ, athletic ability, work ethic, and culture. Using myself as an example, I'm not the smartest nor the dumbest, fastest nor the slowest, I work hard but could work harder, and culturally I'm courteous, empathetic, and expected to give my best effort. Some of the protesters cry that unequal access to education is holding them down. Really, when you're given technology that gives you access to more education than you desire. That's right, it's there, free for the taking. It's much easier to cry about what you don't have than to work for what you want. But who could blame you, you have all you need. Still you want to be given more stuff. Well the people from whom the stuff is being taken to give to you want to keep the stuff they worked to achieve. All the good deeds of these people are punished with more of the same. Eventually there will be nothing left to give. Oh well, it's for the equality.
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I managed a new personal best bench press on Monday of this week. 295 lbs is now my current best and only 20 lbs short of my goal of 315 lbs. Of course this is not a strict "pause and push" lift like would be required in a power-lifting competition. I'm perfectly fine with this as I'm not lifting in competitions and not masquerading it as if it was such a strict form as required in such a competition. In case I hadn't mentioned, my previous best was 290 lbs. I took off approximately 10 weeks from lifting and this resulted in a loss of strength back to a max of 260 lbs. So after 11 weeks of training I've gotten back what I had plus a little. The moral of that story is once you gain that hard won strength, don't lose it by being lazy.
So now, how to get the next 20-40 lbs. I've been feeling a lack of endurance so I'm shifting for the foreseeable future to a higher volume and lower intensity workout. It's hoped this will up my endurance and solidify my current strength level. I also want to focus on pulling movements and create a more balanced strength as I'm weaker in those movements. Then there is the injury issue. Injuries are always a concern, even for young athletes. So at a young 53 years old I've already suffered a few injuries and arthritis is becoming a concern. I'm a somewhat stubborn older person and will pursue my 315 lb goal with my currently aching shoulder(s) as long as they allow and/or new injuries don't force me to abandon my goal. Wrist wraps have abated the wrist pain from an old injury, so there is that. Now to go study the internet and those who have been there and done that for the next workout that will allow me to join their ilk. “Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.”
― Robert E. Howard I believe most people in the United States of America would consider themselves to be civilized. However, when, if ever, does civility become a liability? Perhaps when those lacking civility are continually treated with it by those more civil than themselves. Hence, as noted by Robert E. Howard, there's a decrease in courtesy. Yes, the tolerance of civility has become a liability. Consider the quote attributed to Fyodor Dostoevsky, "The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons." Although I haven't been there, it's noted by our unbiased media that our prisons, as well as those in other places, are over crowded and full of people you'd wish for neighbors. It's also said that our prisons are biased or over represented by some races. Just like a movie, surely all these prisoners are innocent and didn't do anything warranting their placement in such a facility. Sadly, for a small number of prisoners, this is actually true. They are innocent and those responsible for this atrocity will never be held accountable. If you don't understand the reasons for this situation, my best attempt to explain it to you will be inadequate. I had so much more sloshing in my grey matter, but it's been lost to other distractions. Anyway, be responsible for yourself so we can all do our own thing without offending each others sense of civility. Also, we may avoid the annihilation of discourteous collisions. Boyd ‘Bible’ Swan: Wait until you see it. Norman Ellison: See what? Boyd ‘Bible’ Swan: What a man can do to another man. from the movie Fury. It's sad what one human can do to another human. We most recently witnessed this, as a nation, in the Las Vegas Massacre. So once again it's all the news to demand the government regulate us so these things can't happen. One side generally say that if these objects used to harm humans were unavailable then humans couldn't and wouldn't harm another, at least by those means.
I'm not a great student of history, but from what I've read and heard, humans have been harming one another for as long as humans have been around. Sometimes it's a murderous act and other times a defensive act. One usually considered wrong and the other a right. One absolute we know from history is that those that gave up their arms were at the mercy of those that didn't and mercy was rarely given. I believe those that search for an answer to this dilemma will always find disappointment because if there was an answer it would've been found by now. So we are left with defending ourselves and others as best we can from the evil that would do us harm. Also, hold in high esteem those that have defended us and others in the face of evil. I may as well weigh in on the kneel during the national anthem. It's turning into "Alice's Restaurant". Not the place to eat, but the song. If you're not 50+ years old, there's a good chance you will never have heard it. It's clever, give it a listen. Anyway, there's a line in the song that if one person does it they may think he's sick, but if 50 people a day do it, then it'll be a movement or something to that effect. Bless Kapernick's little heart, he's created a bit of a movement.
Some people think they should be punished for disrespecting our flag and anthem in such a manner. My first response to it is certainly anger and I'd be good with them relocating the country of their choice never to return to the USA. Some people find it offensive to our military men and women, past and present. Since they mostly come off as a group of people with their feeling hurt, both sides should get over it. That's an Eagles song, "Get Over It". It doesn't matter what the kneeling intent is, the offended will find their own intent in it that fits their feelings. It appears to me that if the two parties don't see it the same way then they're both wrong. It's like knowing all your life things were one way and then finding out it's not that way. Your head hurts and you rail against it. So they have a complaint, what I'd like to see them do is respect and honor the traditions of our country, then people might want to have a conversation with them about their problem. Being a jerk because you can be is a sure way not to be taken seriously. As Stephen Covey said, "We are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences". They're like monkey see, monkey do. It's yet to be adequately explained what's troubling them. Something about some injustice in this country, yes the one where everyone gets to succeed according to their drive and ability. I'm having trouble finding the problem, other than perhaps we are too tolerant. And the last thing, some people would like a law or rule prohibiting these offensive protesting actions. This is the only county I'm aware of where protesting, especially by disrespecting said symbol(s) of the country, is protected by the constitution not met with termination of your freedom or life. This isn't something that should or needs to be changed because someone offended you. This is one of the things that makes America great. Then again, some people seem to have missed the whole "melting pot" concept. Maybe if we turn up the heat they can figure it out or go to some better place of their choosing. This country doesn't need to change to suit them. No, not the medium that connects you to the deceased. I'm talking about that place in between extremes. Take how steak is cooked for example, raw or uncooked on one end and well on the other. Neither extreme is palatable to a majority, but medium in the middle is tolerable by most. I find this applies in other aspects of life as well. Dress, extremes will likely bring attention or at least impressions one probably doesn't need or want in their life. Motivation, extremes often result in failure of the desired outcome.
Medium however, now here is something that get's results. Food that's always edible, humans that look like you could associate with them, and work that gets accomplished. The results aren't always the greatest, but they're tolerable. One thing you're not going to get with medium is dismal failure. Yes, funny fail videos abound, but you don't want those for yourself, do you? I certainly don't. I had a semi-fail moment recently and my reward was pain, the physical kind, I don't need that in my life. At least it isn't in video for everyone to enjoy. If you're a "Hey, watch this" quickly followed by "ouch that hurt" kind of person. Don't share with me. Pain is a great teacher, as is history. Humans, for the most part, appear to be poor learners. If you don't believe that, stop paying attention to yourself and watch what's going on around you. If "insanity" is doing the same thing over and expecting different results, then clearly the insane are in charge. I know I took a sharp turn from the topic, but these things happen, and I find there's a connection. You may see the connection too, if you can find a medium. It's day three of my no soda challenge. Actually, cutting out sweets, period. Of course that didn't go so well on Monday night with the leftover package of double stuff Oreos. The Oreos are gone now and I'll have less temptation to buy more Oreos than I do to eat the Oreos that I already have on the table. The sugar craving is noticeable today. I've heard that day three is some magic time where one gets to fail or make it over the hump. My own experience confirms this notion.
Key for me this afternoon is to get busy doing something that will keep my busy and not focused on the desire to drink a delicious Coca-Cola of three. As noted by Poul Andersen, "ninety-nine percent of the human population, no matter how smart they are, will do the convenient thing instead of the wise thing, and kid themselves into thinking they can escape the consequences". In other words, too me at least, it's easy to rationalize your way back into old feel good behaviors. The conversation in my head goes something like, "Oh I'll just have one soda. It's only 240 calories, which will hardly hurt your weight loss goals. You can do better tomorrow." Then tomorrow becomes next week, which becomes next month, which becomes next year. Not too mention during all this time more insulation is being added to the midsection. We shall see if my good intentions become convictions. My new quote, "Change happens when good intentions become convictions." ~Randall Fuller Bill Winke said "the problem with young people is a lack of consistency in their efforts." When inconsistency is the only consistent, results will be less than their best. In order to get better at anything requires consistent effort. Getting better and then stopping what got you to that point will result in a return to a lower performance level. It doesn't matter if you're shooting free-throws or working calculus problems. If you fail to use it, you'll lose it.
Take my hard won improvements in bench press performance. In May of 2017 I had a personal best of 290 lbs. After a summer break from all resistance exercise of 10 weeks, in August 2017 the best I could muster was 240 lbs. That's a decrease of %17. If I had only done 1 day of resistant work on my bench press during this time I likely would've maintained my strength. There's no excuse, I was inconsistent in my efforts and this is the result. WEAKNESS! Mental weakness led to physical weakness. A Google search suggested that one may lose %10 for every 3 weeks of inactivity, up to about a total of %30. I don't know that this person has data to back up that claim, but my own results are similar. I'm relieved I didn't regress a full %30. In the past it's been easier to regain what lost and I hope that'll be the case this time as well. Regardless it's time I should've been spending improving on my personal best instead of trying to get it back. So whatever your endeavor, consistent effort is key to improvement and maintenance of that improvement. Today is one of those days. I have a lot on my mind and not enough time to sort and organize it. So some quotes of wisdom to keep your freedoms' intact. "Discipline yourself so others won't have too." ~John Wooden and "You can choose your actions, but you aren't free to choose the consequences of those actions." ~Stephen Covey
Today I attended a presentation by the Todd Becker Foundation. The focus was on the narrow path. The narrow path leads to life and the wide road to destruction. So all you narrow path walkers pat yourselves on the back as it's a hard path to stay. The wide road is easy as it has so many appealing options and distractions to draw you off course. That looks fun and everyone else that's doing it appears to be having fun. Besides, it cant' happen to me, bad things only happen to other people. It's common to think you will get back on the narrow path when you've strayed, you have time, right. However, truth is none of us know when our time will be up. Better think about it now as there may not be a later.
The narrow path is always in effect. Healthy living has a narrow path. Go stumbling off the path and your health will be destroyed. Time off path may vary, but the destructive end is inevitable. Obesity, that's me and it's hard to change. Tougher than a piddly tobacco habit, that's for sure. I've gotten tangled up in carbohydrates somewhere off the path and am yet to find my way back. They're loving me such that I don't want to leave. Not to mention there's more of me to love daily due to carbohydrates. I believe I can get back on the healthy path, but I am concerned it will take a bad crash to turn me around. If you get the chance, I highly recommend the Todd Becker Foundation presentation. He tells it like it is, carbohydrate free. You readers keep your path narrow. |
AuthorHigh School Science Teacher and Pessimistic Philosopher Archives
November 2017
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