Sunday, September 01, 2013

What Matters

Everything you do in life matters -- and is revealed in the condition one is in.

The people who are in poor health and condition, don't think anything matters -- and that is the shape their bodies take.

If they are "too busy and have no time," what are they doing?  It is obviously not anything requiring skilled movement -- except their hand to mouth coordination, which obviously, they don't need to do anymore of.

People in great shape are not that way because of how much they do, but how much "better" they do it -- because of their practice at extending the range of their movement, and not just repeating a limited range of motion and expression endlessly -- until those joints wear out and have to be replaced.

Even the heart wears out from unnecessary wear and tear -- because it is not designed to last forever, so to arbitrarily cause it to wear out out prematurely, is obviously foolish -- though unquestionably good business for the cardiologists advising people to do so.  The wise and prudent people of every discipline, seem to advise the utmost mindfulness and attention to what one is doing -- and not just flailing one's arms and legs meaninglessly as though some good will come of that.

If one shoots a thousand shots, there is a chance one might hit the target once -- but the objective, is to hit the target, with one shot, or as few as possible.  Thus the best golfer, bowler, basketball player, quarterback, pole vaulter, weightlifter, etc., are not those doing the most -- but invariably doing the least, perfectly the first time.

Ironically, that is usually never a consideration in the discussions of exercise, conditioning and fitness -- but only gross amounts of activity, calorie expenditures, heart rate, time spent, etc. -- all things easy to measure, but whether they are the most important things to measure, most teachers of any skill, will recognize is irrelevant to the mastery that transcends them to the next level -- which is the reason for their practice, and not just the mindless activity that is certain to end in frustration, despair and no idea of what and why they are doing what they are doing.

Until that understanding is addressed, all their activities and movements will be random -- resulting in random results, instead of the very specific objectives they wish to achieve.  You don't get there by going in the wrong (opposite) direction no matter how long and strenuously one's efforts are.

When people fail to achieve their objectives, it is invariably not because of a lack of effort, but this lack of understanding of what they ARE doing, and lack of clarity of how everything is related to everything else -- and not that nothing is related to anything else, and so anything one wants to believe, is equally valid.

That's not how the world works.

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