Week/Chapter 3: The Art of Movement
It is important to not emphasize a virtue of necessity.
The Art of Movement:
It is important to not emphasize a virtue of necessity.
— Aldo Leopold
Movement is art. Bruce Lee called physical training the art of expressing the human body. Whether developing a muscle through repetitions, contractions, sets, and poses, or by the repetitious nature of sport, the result is the same: altered, chosen, defined physical appearance.
My life has been a deep dive in all things physical. The same desires that drew me in at age 13 still brew within to this day. I seek a feeling, chase an outcome, and move to make that happen. Different modes brought different outcomes. However, with time, the mode has decreased in importance. From breadth of experience comes an innate desire to foster the feeling, using whatever means necessary. Methods, programs, plans, and prescriptions lose their appeal. Interest shifts to the present moment. The multiple sets of pull-ups and kettlebell swings keep me engaged and intrigued as did the 90-minute bodybuilding sessions, 30-minute HIIT workouts, or the one-set-to-failure training sessions for rock climbing.
When movement is your art the mind’s role is simplified. No convincing is needed for the body to do the thing. Barriers are absent. To live in this manner is not exceptional, merely a way of being. Awareness of the determinants of self-image, and assigning a significantly high value to them, ensures satisfaction.
Consistency in image plus capability athletically is non-negotiable. This is not virtuous. Each of us makes prioritizations. We decide, then do or don’t, harboring, as well as displaying the consequence. To choose the consequence is to engage in life’s viscerality.
All things happen of their own accord when the requisite degree of sincerity and seriousness arises.
— Kapil Gupta
A cautionary pivot…
It’s not that I'm out of my mind, it’s that I don’t have the same mind as you.
— Diogenes
Participation (in group activity/setting) requires us to form or follow patterns. Our predictability comforts the group. Our deviation leads to chaos. Thus, to serve one or many roles and to do so unwaveringly is not a personal feat. If instead of congratulatory reward we posed a question of curiosity (on life in general), a feeling of community in the form of connection and concern would bolster interest in the personal experience, which is life lived in the free-space. It is easy to give-away time. To play by imposed rules, accept yearly raises, earn the bonus, etc. But after the initial bump of excitement, expectation settles in. Most of our chips are committed to this one hand. To me, this is a dangerous pact. I propose we set our sails in a personal direction. Free space welcomes free thought. Be critical of progress. Is it necessary? One yes leads to many nos. Learn about the physical body. With knowledge may come respect. When you respect something, you treat it well. Rules of engagement are followed. Attention to detail is maintained. Control is exercised in a natural manner, requiring but a momentary pause to reflect.
To survive the present and arrive in the future is to disregard the profoundness of the moment. Your presence can elevate those in your path. Your recognition of the roles you must play, and the fact that they are merely roles in a larger performance eases the anxiety that may arise from obligation. Cease to desire a different body, better job, more income, the perfect spouse, better behaved + more successful children, wealthier parents, more property, perfect health, and so on.
The perfect life is the one you’ve been given. Do not fuss about assumptions. Your consistency eases tensions. Acting with no expectation (of others as well as yourself), you are free to respond as necessary.
The path you’ve chosen,
Is the journey to your truth,
Accept your obsessions,
For every moment,
Every day,
We dig our own graves.