thoughts worth what you Paid
Do you consider yourself to be strong or weak, physically that is? I've let myself go, and not in a good way, strength wise. Except for the bench press, which is some gold standard it seems, I consider myself to be relatively weak. Although I may likely be average for my age and size. However, I'm certainly not strong except for the aforementioned bench press.
Since many or maybe all things are relative, Einstein, what should strength measures be relative to? A common way of measuring strength is relative to the person's body weight. I side with those that use this measurement system. Bench press standards for males tend to go with 1 x body weight as a minimum and 1.5 x body weight is "relatively" strong. The world's best lift 3+ x body weight in bench press. I consider this to be relative to a healthy BMI. Hey, whatever make you feel good about yourself, right! Especially since my BMI is closer to 40 than 25 at this time. So how's your strength? Not to worry if it isn't what you'd like. Strength is like other things, you will get better if you work at it. Consistency is key.
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It's been a busy holiday time. Nothing pressing at this time, except the bench press. It's going well for me at this time. I was talked into going up a level and have thus far made all my lifts. This Thursday is looking brutal though. I'm supposed to complete 2 sets of 2 reps @ 260 lbs, which is my all time 1 rep max at this time, before going for 1 rep @ 270 lbs. WOW, but I'm pumped to have an opportunity to increase my max. I find it nice to have successfully increased my strength.
Trump has wasted no time shaking up the establishment. I don't know if it's always been this bad, but the division in the U.S. seems the worst I've ever known. However, I didn't pay much attention to these things from 1970-2005 or so. For example, this morning on Fox news there was a lady doctor discussing the Physician Moms Group. Apparently if you don't think the way some of them do and dislike all things Trump, then you'll be berated and force out by those that do. Think about this, these aren't uneducated misguided masses, these are educated professionals that can't even have a difference of opinion with their peers. It doesn't seem to bode well for the rest of us when these professionals are behaving so poorly. Heck of a deal, I type up a couple of wonderful paragraphs concerning the shocking and joyful outcome of the POTUS 2016 election and poof! I don't know what key combination it was, but it closed Chrome without a whimper and all my thoughts were lost :-( So I just saved this one.
There's been quite a bit of jubilation around the country resulting from the election of Donald Trump to be the next POTUS. Chicken Little's Sky fell on the other populous this time. President Obama's crowning achievement, Obamacare, will hopefully go away in the same fashion as last weeks post. Seriously, in what world does it make sense to take another's money and spend it on those that can't or won't do anything to provide it for themselves? Yippee, the working get to have their Obamacare costs double+ so that more can have coverage for nothing. As someone said, "If you think it's expensive now just wait until it's free". Riots, because they didn't get their candidate elected. Not a good thing, a tantrum, for not getting your way. They should've learned that "you can't always get what you want" from the Rolling Stones. Instead, it appears, this is the result of those that were coddled and given trophies because they showed up. I dare say some got trophies and didn't show up for that either, but they could've showed up if someone had made them feel better about themselves. AFAIK this only occurs in humans. Entitled, yes you are, to do something useful for your existence. Not to have others provide it for you. There's a reason the US rose above all others and there's a reason it will fall back or below. The "Tytler Cycle", look it up on your subsidized electronic internet communicating device and see if you can figure out where you're at. I don't feel up to doing it for you. At last, the end of President Obama's reign is in sight. For those of us that thought it couldn't get any worse, we were wrong. Trillions of dollars in debt and a likely replacement from his party that is a proven, two-faced, lying, pompous leftist. Yet she's their liar so about 50% of the country appears to be thrilled with her. Once again, the other major party is putting forth a candidate that is lacking appeal to the other side and is therefore struggling to win what should've been a landslide win for them. The republic is clearly dead, some have said it's been gone for a long time. I find that hard to argue with as the "democracy" we have reported to us is mob rule by 51% of our population.
"The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money." - Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859) This quote is questionably attributed to this person and it's origin is in question by some, however the statement resonates. Worse yet, it's other peoples money the politicians are using to bribe. ACA subsidizing, other peoples money. “Socialized Medicine is the Keystone to the Arch of the Socialist State.” -Vladimir Lenin Socialist state here we come. Here is something to look forward too. "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill All this looks a lot like the Tytler Cycle. Bondage Spiritual Faith Courage Liberty Abundance Selfishness Complacency Apathy Dependence Then starting over with Bondage It's pointed out by some that we have entered the "dependence" stage of the cycle. At any rate the times are changing. The republic's headstone has been placed and the liberty tree is wilting. Sometimes I ponder how or why I've reached the ripe old age of 52. No, I never had to ship or fly off to a foreign land for a brutal war. I suspect that causes a whole different level of why not me. I've actually lived a somewhat charmed life in my opinion. Yet I feel I've had multiple opportunities for an early exit. Some odd 40 years ago or so while engaged in a hide and seek game I turned to run across the street and instead ran into the side of a moving automobile. Obviously, if my timing had been better I would have been run over and possibly killed. 10 years later I found myself rolling down a rocky ditch after the motorcycle I was on bounced off of a light blue pickup. I was carried away unscathed, not withstanding my three tibia fractures. Two or three short years later I was assisting in the placement of a 20 foot stick of rebar a mere 30 feet above ground and 12 feet from multiple high voltage lines. That was likely the closest I've come to death. Let's not forget the close encounters with bad drivers.
Any of the aforementioned incidents could've been the end of me, but due to grace, bad timing, or good fortune I'm still here. We all know people, or are that person, that could've or should've killed or at least maimed themselves. Sometimes you read about them in the paper and your thinking, yep, that's what I expected. Yet, just as often or more so, it'll be someone you least expected. We just don't know. Past behavior doesn't guarantee future outcomes. This seems to apply to the stock market and other areas as well. The worst is when you're doing everything right and along comes some Darwin award winner to take you out. Never rely on the performance of mechanical things, they can fail. However, deaths due to mechanical failure are minuscule compared to those resulting from human actions. If you make it through the golden years of bad choices, 13-24, then your chances of a natural death improve and for the majority that do it is no fault of their own. It's true, and in the words of Bill Winke, "Young people are not consistent in their effort". Well, too be fair, old people aren't consistent in their effort either. Speaking of myself of course. I've made stellar efforts and enjoyed the results. Yet, I continue to fail in maintaining the consistency. I believe what's missing in my case is the "life change", about which Dr. Phil writes and speaks. Hey if it was easy, we'd all be rocket scientists fitness champions. Some days it's a simple matter of procrastination, it's easy to start tomorrow. I'll start exercising, studying, eating right......tomorrow, because right now a double stuffed oreo family pack and quart of whole milk will satisfy my cravings. Sugar has got to be a drug, how it lifts you up and then lets you crash. It comes in lots of forms too, soda, candy, and cookies; all in nice attractive packaging that appeals to the senses. It looks like I've strayed from the title.
Youth is typically the time when physically you're in your prime. It's all easy, running, jumping, swinging, and so on. Yet it's also the time when most want to put out as little effort as they can to "get by". It's mostly effective, see how your peers are doing the same thing. It's some twisted idea that if I'm doing better than my peers, that's good enough. Instead of slacking and doing just enough to get by, you should be pushing yourself to get better. But in your little world you're good enough you think. You're WRONG, because you can be better. That means if "better is possible, then good is not good enough". I read that in book I can't recall the title too in order to give proper credit at this time. On a brighter note, if Hillary is elected POTUS, she can take some awesomeness from some other people that were consistent in their efforts and give it too me. I think I'm entitled. It's too late for me, but there might still be a chance for some of you. Stupid is what you do when you know you shouldn't, but do it anyway. We all know or will know someone who did something stupid and didn't get away with it. Pieces of their body don't function correctly, may be completely missing, or the ultimate stupid move, deceased! You see, STUPID hurts. Sometimes it hurts a little, a lot, a moment, or the rest of your existence. A majority of the time no penalty is incurred and therein lies the problem. We may get to thinking we're too clever or otherwise awesome to incur the wrath of stupid. We are not; we are lucky. Luck runs out, you may have heard, sometimes sooner rather than later. So when you have a thought pass through that grey matter between your ears that goes something like...........uh...this may be a bad idea, I could get maimed or worse. Listen to it and STOP doing what you're about to do. It won't mean you're weak, a sissy, or better than those that didn't get by with it. It will mean you will remain intact, wise beyond your years, and much more likely to continue aging; at least for the moment.
Still wondering what I must've done to inspire these words of wisdom. There have been more than one, and at least one of them could've cost myself and another our lives. Lucky is better than good I've heard. No, this was a small miscalculation that resulted in my pet German shepherd's upper left canine gouging and puncturing the back of my hand. Yep, I was right, I knew that could happen and I just proved it. There's not much smug satisfaction to be found in pain. Satisfaction may be enjoyed through watching those that didn't have the "thought" or more likely, just didn't listen to it. People prove they're stupid frequently. You don't have too be and let this remind you not to be. How hard it is to get started, and once started, to stay consistent. Once grown and old enough to have absorbed some wisdom, the statement "Do as I say and not as I do." makes plenty of sense. Along with many other sayings, such as, "Youth is wasted on the young." I know what to do, but I keep finding reasons to put it off and put it off. It appears that in my case diabetes may cure obesity in the same way cancer cures smoking. Hey, life changes are hard. If they weren't then everyone would be doing them. I'm going to start today which keeps getting pushed to tomorrow. 10 days is hardly a life change, but I have ridden the stationary recumbent bike at least every other day or so. I can hear them saying, "You have to start somewhere." And so I did. It's these darn soda pops that are kicking my rear. They're like a drug habit. I know a bit about that because of the Copenhagen habit I had for 22 years or so. Permanent diet and exercise change seems to be ALOT more challenging than tobacco. Oh well, others have done and I can to. I have to make that true commitment with only one acceptable outcome. Wishy, washy won't get it done. As a famous deer hunting writer wrote, teens fail because they aren't consistent with their efforts. This obviously applies to us all.
Oh No, if only such and such or so and so hadn't, then I wouldn't. Yes! you would've and you did, more times than not it's your fault. Don't get mad little snowflake, because the truth slapped you like a rogue wave from Deadliest Catch. Personal responsibility is necessary for freedom. I say that as it logically follows that without such responsibility the responsible entity will provide you with just what they want, rather than what you want. But, but, but it's my right to be free you exclaim! Not when your action or inaction causes harm to others.
Let's take this obesity problem for example. Yes, I'm part of the problem. But I'm rambling on about those in charge, such as the First Lady Obama and Mayor Bloomberg. Yea, you remember, they're some of those that forced healthier eating and drinking on you. That's right, because you and I couldn't or wouldn't do it (RESPONSIBILITY), they legislated it for us. Since we couldn't do it right, then they just took our right to do it away. Wait, they can't.....uh yes they can and did, kinda sorta, anyway. You see that's an example of what I'm going on about. If you aren't responsible for yourself then someone else will be. Folks that knew what it took to be free and responsible have tried to tell us before, yet today, many people have never heard of them. Who do I speak of you wonder, well take John Wooden (famous UCLA basketball coach) for example; he's quoted as "Discipline yourself and others won't need to". But it's only hurting me you bemoan, well yes, but no. You see, there's that whole health care cost due to unhealthy living that you and I are in-explicitly engaged in. But I PAY for my own healthcare you counter, yea maybe you do but many don't and nevertheless when the lung cancer or heart attack patient show up in the hospital they don't let you pass quietly into the night; not yet anyway. Nope, you can count on the best, most expensive treatments around. And though you may, most of us aren't paying that out of pocket. So therefore, insurance and treatment costs go up, and up. So be responsible for your action's and inaction's. Find some motivation to live a better lifestyle, one that leads to longevity. If nothing else, if we're not a drain on the healthcare system we can be a pain and drain to the younger generation that knows it all. Certainly each one of us is responsible for our own health. We get to make all of the decisions that govern our health, or do we? Let's take for instance the advertising used against us. Nope, I can't recall a single add with sugary soft drinks or any food item and an overweight, out-of-shape, actor. Yep, I do recall many an add with a lean, mean, model machine, soaking up the scene. As it's been said before, sex sells, and it sells EVERYTHING. Hey, if you, as company with a product to sale, can use the human condition against itself to increase your profits, do you not? Of course you do, you have to make yourself and your investors money.
So what's a poor overweight white male to do? One could claim ignorance, but this is the information age where ignorance is washed away like stool in high pressure bidet. Not an excuse, no we are all responsible for our health decisions. Yes, there will yet be misinformation and changes to current health trends, but multiple, credible paths to a healthier you are just a Google search away. Responsibility is HARD, but it's the cost of freedom, and just a tiny bit of history will teach you that freedom is much desirable to other alternatives. So since we all know better, we must resolve to do better. |
AuthorHigh School Science Teacher and Pessimistic Philosopher Archives
November 2017
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