Man Versus Himself

When you look into the mirror, there is somebody looking back at you. Who is he? Do you feel that  he is a friend or a foe? For those among us who are so fully in tune only with the positive aspects of their essence, in that every feeling they have, every activity they engage in, everything they are drawn to, every habit they possess, and every action they partake in is healthy, productive and self-fulfilling, then they are definitely in awesome shape. But there exists among the vast majority of us some kind of devious foe who wants to force us off the path towards well being and prosperity. He seeks to play tricks on us and to delay, regress, or otherwise hinder our rightful progress. That is the enemy within.

In a real sense, you need to overcome yourself in life in order to be successful. You need to conquer that aspect of you that just wants to take everything easy, to lay down and watch porn all day and play videogames all night. It's kind of strange because you would think that your own self only wants the best for yourself. After all, whatever hurts you will also hurt yourself, and whatever benefits you will be good for yourself, so why would yourself want to do battle against your own self-interest? A most interesting question. Personally I believe that it can be partially explained by looking at the evolutionary process. You see, my guess goes along the lines that we never evolved to be "perfect" beings. So we can definitely get away with having all sorts of flaws and all kinds of nasty imperfections. Despite this, most of us manage to find a mate and reproduce offspring. Evolution is not about perfection after all. It is about being able to reproduce in a given environment. So you can have antagonistic impulses and be extremely flawed in various ways and have "bad" character traits and still manage to breed offspring, and it is quite irrelevant to anything else so long as you manage to pass on your genes to the next generation. Those genes that are considered by society and yourself to be unhealthy or bad are not necessarily going to be selected against as long as they do not interfere with your mating. And so you can pass on addictions, laziness, deviances, useless traits, etc. on down the line. So whatever "bad" traits you have may be genetic and natural. It is what it is. There is no such thing as a natural progression in evolutionary terms, according to our preconceived notions and imagined ideal. Nature does not care what we like to believe. Sometimes in some species there appears to be some kind of higher step-by-step progression, but that is merely by chance and merely because we perceive it to be so. There is no divine intelligence guiding natural organisms in the evolutionary process. We choose our own destinies. 

But the main point of my message for this entry is to examine the ways we can sabotage ourselves, and how to combat against these pernicious and subtle enemies. The enemy which is our own self is the most powerful enemy you may face in life. It has the potential to ruin and devastate you beyond all hope. Just for one example look at all of those drug addicts out there, many of them homeless and in absolutely desperate condition. Do you think they wanted to end up like that? Obviously not, but it was something inside of them, something deep, that infected them with an irresistible urge to take the next hit and to keep getting doped up. I feel sorry for those victims who are overwhelmed by forces which are ultimately not within their control. Not having any kind of drug addict genes myself (as far as I am aware), I suppose I am blessed to not have to struggle with that particular demon. But unless we are "perfect" beings, we all have some kind of demon facing against us in one way or another. So that is why we must stay focused day and night, organizing our time and schedule. We have to rely only on ourselves to make things happen and to get things done. Do your best, with no exceptions and no excuses. Ultimately, you cannot control whether you succeed or fail. You cannot determine absolutely whether you win or you lose, but you can always choose how much you put towards anything in life, in terms of effort, diligence, careful thought and passion. Limitations such as sloth or fear are demons of the mind that need to be defeated utterly. 

How can you conquer and overcome these awful tendencies and habits? To some extent, I suspect that you may not be able to. Whatever it is that is harmful to you or is not helpful may be a genetic trait that is impossible to dislodge. Your best shot is to deal with it as best as you possibly can, and focus on avoiding the worst potential damages it could inflict upon you. It could be something like simple laziness, or lack of motivation and initiative in life. A lack of initiative, laziness, not willing to apply yourself in a dedicated manner, being disinclined to work at high rate, being strongly inclined to avoid spending time in achieving goals and putting in the necessary elbow grease to get things done (and you better believe that it is going to take a tremendous amount of elbow grease to accomplish your dreams), can and probably will ruin your life in some way, over time. So watch out. Watch the hell out, because the price of not facing off against yourself and not winning against your negative side can be devastating. At the end of it all, you can be left with a gigantic mountain of painful regrets. Not only can you pay the price, but also those you care about, and all of the people whose lives you could have touched and brightened up, and the world as a whole would miss out on all that you would have to offer. You must conquer yourself in some ways in order to live and to be at your absolute best.  

Man Versus Wilderness

"A Wild Scene" by Thomas Cole

Could you survive in the wilderness? Without the support of modern civilization, could you make your own way successfully in the naked wild? Most people cannot. They are essentially at the whim and mercy of the modern system. The vast majority of people would not survive very long without the support of modern production methods in agriculture, mechanized distribution networks of cargo transport by rail and road (and by ship and plane in the case of internationally shipped food products), and shelter crafted by a systematized engineering and construction process. And of course, if anything breaks down then they will need the services of a multitude of specialists (unless you happen to be a master electrician, plumber, carpenter, HVAC technician, and already possess all of the required tools and machines). Most Americans like to make the blind claim that we are an independent, individualisic people. In terms of looking at our general national character you could say that there is a strong strain of individualism that exists, but when it comes to the arena of being dependent versus being truly independent, we are actually incredibly reliant on others for just about everything. If you were to journey out into the wild right now (and I am not talking about the local zoo), could you face off against the forces of the natural world and win (and winning in this case would be to survive)?

We all descend from savages. Each and every one of us is a direct descendent of caveman types. You know what I am talking about, those thick-muscled smelly guys with the protruding foreheads, unibrows, and big fluffy beards that clubbed each other to the shouts of "oogaah! boogaah!". We would like to think that we are better than them, being positioned at a later stage in evolutonary history. We like to believe that we are so much more developed. We have so much more advanced technology after all. We certainly have a better sense of hygiene than those half-apes, right? Yeah that is true. But guess what? Those stinky cavemen guys who didn't even know how to tie shoes or how make cafe au lait would run circles around us if they were still around and we were to enter into their domain, into the wilderness. So who is the evolved one here? The guy who has to rely on a small electronic gadget to get himself up in the morning, or the guy who can bring down a deer and carry the carcass on his back while running the distance of a marathon to his camp? Not so clear cut anymore is it, hmmm?

I think every man needs to go out and experience the wilderness once in a while. It touches some primordial piece of you when you go out into an area with so few people, and you have all of this land and sky and air around you to take in. The sun goes down, and you can look straight at it because it is dusk, and Nature can really hit you with her beauty and her ancient, eternal splendor. I have personally had what I could best describe as a spiritual out-of-body experience one time when I witnessed a sunset. There was nothing around me but my own solitude, the universe, and then somehow my mind blended into a complete oneness, into a holy infinite eternity of space and time and Nature. It was a transcendent experience, like I left the world for a while and was taken to a another place somewhere out there in the depths of cosmic space for a few moments. It was incredible. I really felt the splendor and majesty of something greater than myself. I felt Nature. It is hard to describe the full sensation to someone unless they have had a similar experience, I think.

Anyway, it is really necessary for the benefit of your soul in my opinion to go out there into the wilderness once in a while and connect back to those ancient days and nights under a free sky. There was a time in the age of man when you truly were free, and could really be independent, much moreso than the notion of freedom and self-reliance that we have come to delude ourselves into believing that we possess in the modern age. In the ancient times, we were much closer to Nature. But nowadays, I think there exists a kind of seperation from that oneness with the earth, a seperation from the splendor and majesty of the natural order. We have made progress when everything is taken into account, I suppose, from the times of the savage stone age. But at what cost?

Man Versus Other

This is an eternal struggle. Man against other men, women, beasts, and society. Conflict is an inevitable part of our lives. In many cases, conflicts are ultimately a healthy thing for people to experience. So in general it should not be avoided, but embraced. Conflict can enhance you as a person. It unleashes the passions from within you and can strengthen your character. Conflicts can come in many shapes and forms, but here I will discuss some aspects of conflicts with others in the sense of other people. Examples may include enemies, opponents, would be victimizers of you or your loved ones, those who you have to persuade in order to achieve a goal, those who you must out compete to win a resource, etc. Being individuals we all have our own desires, interests, and ambitions. We each can have our own views on various issues and are prone to disagreements. We can often find ourselves in conflict with other people.

In the conflict against other men you are facing a great challenge on the whole. Men have minds which are competitive, selfish, and sometimes aligned against your own interests and even your well-being. It can be quite the challenge to overcome these men with all of their talents and brains arrayed against you. It is a contest of wills, and there can emerge but one victor. Will that be you?

Fighting is not only physical or verbal. For anyone who understands the nature of conflict, what often occurs on the surface is merely the visible display of deeper and more profound forces at work. It depends on the participants. It depends upon the circumstances and the source of the conflict. But usually there is a higher and invisible mind game going on, battle plans worked out, weapons sharpened and defenses prepared well before the outbreak of actual hostile actions. That is the case with men who truly know conflict. Sometimes it is indeed rather mundane and simple. But with men who know conflict and how to win at it, the battle is waged with great finesse and cunning, tactics can be complex and intricate, with the winner taking the advantage by the smallest of errors committed by his opponent. Among those well versed in struggles against others, their actions tend to be fine and precise. Their goal is to outsmart, out convince, out hustle, or out maneuver their opponents and the surrounding relevant players into a state of affairs in their favor and to their liking. How dominant will be the man who faces off against another man that does not possess much skill in conflict? And in the modern world, most conflict is mental (because physical conflicts can potentially result in jail time). So social ability is a big advantage. Your social-emotional acumen is crucial.

I think that a key aspect of life is to be good at fighting others. Be comfortable with conflict and battles against others. Get good at it. I feel that one must embrace conflict, in a general sense. It enlivens the passions, and freshens the spirit. This does not mean that one should go looking for fights, or that you should go well out of your way to stir up troubles, but it is almost an axiom to me that you cannot shy away from conflict versus others when it inevitably arises. Sometimes you have to lay in wait and bide your time. But you must not allow anyone to dictate the terms of your own life or its circumstances in any way. You must be the one to dictate things, at least in your own sphere. Also, excessive fear of conflict is something to be overcome, if you happen to possess such an unhealthy trait. You should avoid lose-lose situations (that is just being smart), but there is undoubtedly a proper course of action to take when the need to get down and dirty with others arises. Heed the call. Rise to the challenge. Kick some ass when necessary. And oftentimes, it is also alright to kick some ass when it is simply just fun to do so.

How to Conquer the World II

Image from NASA archives 

World conquest. It has been the dream of warriors and kings for ages on end. Since the dawn of man, tribal chieftains have been engaged in brutal contests of cunning, manpower, leadership ability, land- grabbing and resource accumulation between each other. In modern times some of the rules have changed, but the basic principle remains the same. It is an age-old battle for supremacy, though not through brute strength necessarily (though that still can be employed) but usually through covet means, economic coercion and political manipulations. We all have kings, queens, warriors and conquerors somewhere in our DNA. So have you ever dreamed of taking over the world? Well I have. Seriously, I have. I realize that many people would consider such an idea to be absurd, and generally not something that is even possible to do. But you see, I have always been attracted to accomplishing "impossible" dreams. After all, something is only impossible until it becomes possible. And besides, what else should I spend my life thinking about? Should I just be content in the living of a mundane 9 to 5 wage-slave hamster-wheel type of existence? Should I just spend all of my time watching NBC sitcoms? Or Sunday night football? I personally find that to be quite a boring prospect (and I don't even have a tv so I don't follow those programs anyway). So I figure why not seriously consider taking over the world, or at least a small country? It seems like it would be fun.

Obviously, one is presented with a number of challenges in pursuing the path of world conquest. First and foremost is the question of where to start. It's not as if there are any guides and how-to books on world conquest out there, and even extensive searches on the internet yields little to no information on this matter (every article that you do find is bound to be a parody of some kind). So this is the first obstacle that must be tackled. My personal approach would be to start small. I mean, you shouldn't even think about taking over a town, much less a province, much less a country, unless you work out some details that are much closer to home. You must begin by asking the relevant questions of yourself, such as "do I have what it takes to be a modern day conqueror?" and "how should I go about this?" So I shall go further into detail on these two questions.

Firstly, you really have to begin with the right raw materials before you embark on a mission of this nature. In this case, the raw material is you. Do you have what it takes? Do you have the right stuff? This is the pressing question. You need to be seriously dedicated to this goal, and you need to be absolutely determined to follow through on any initial plan of action. It is just as in any realm of achievement, in order to reach success you need to have that fire inside that drives you to take action in pursuit of a goal. However great the demand on you and however consistent and focused you must be in order to realize your dream, that is what you must do.

Secondly, where to start? My answer would be money. That is what essentially rules the world today, so what you need is money. How you get that money is for you to figure out, but once you do only then can you begin with the takeover. To attempt a takeover of any population with no money just doesn't seem like it would work in the modern age (unless you have the manpower, but then how do you get the manpower in the first place? With money). Maybe it is possible to tie those two in together, if somehow you can simultaneously discover a source of wealth while seizing power at the same time (like forming an armed band to take over a mine in Africa or something along those lines). Regardless, you are going to need money, and lots of it to start. Then you do something in a third world or developing country. Join up with some rebels. Buy an election. Start a revolution after learning the language fluently and stirring up a populist local grassroots movement among the impoverished, exploited, and angry natives who are fed up with the current system.

There is a high likelihood of violence. This is why I am not fully committed to taking over a country at present. I have not yet come up with a viable plan which does not in some way involve unsavory methods and means. I have lots of ideas and hypothetical scenarios planned out, but all of them contain the strong possibility of bloodshed. So I am kind of at a loss on how to resolve that issue right now. That, and the fact that I am not a multi-millionaire prevents me from moving forward with any serious plans on this matter. So I suppose that what I need to do now would be to take things step-by-step and make myself some millions first before I actually start off onto the world conquest route.

The Virtue of Violence

"Muay Thai" by 'Marchibial'

From the beginning, man has used violence against his fellow man. From the first cavemen who tied stone axes to stout wooden bars, to the forgers of sharp, durable swords from the metal ores, to the ingenious weapon smiths who designed trigger mechanisms for shooting crossbows, to the automatic assault rifles of today, creating a more powerful tool for employing violent force has been a driving motivation in mens' competitive lives throughout the historical record, and long before that. You can go back to the stone ages and find evidence for the evolution of better weaponry over time. So what are we to make of this tendency?

It seems that there is something fundamental to man's nature in regards to violence. It has always been with us, and I think it's very reasonable to suspect that it will not go away any time soon. It seems ingrained into our general nature. Therefore we should embrace it, and accept that it is apart of us. Perhaps we should even celebrate it. Like a virtue of some kind.

So is violence a virtue?

Violence is not often thought of as a virtue. And while I would certainly agree that the use of violence towards unjustifiable or malevolent ends is wrong, it cannot be denied that violence in and of itself is a neutral concept. Violence is like a gun or a knife, a baseball bat or a hammer. It is a tool, a potential to do something, but not wrong or evil in and of itself. Violence can be used against you, and you can use violence for your own purposes. In this sense it is merely a capability, basically just a tool or a form of potential to do something. It can be unleashed for reasons good, ill or neutral. And this is why the capacity to use violence must be cultivated among men. If there is a man who employs violence only when necessary and only for good justifiable reasons, but there is another man out there who is of a more malicious bent who does not care about how he uses violence, who do you feel should be victorious in any conflict between these two men? And what determines the outcome of such a battle? Violence. Victory goes to the man who can use violence and force with greater capacity. The man who knows violence, understands how to use violence, has greater aptitude and methods in its use, is the man who will most likely win. If your form of violence is greater and stronger than another man's, or better yet, the other man does not know violence at all, then you will overcome any resistance that he may present to you. On the other hand, if your capacity for violence is inferior, you will likely lose in any conflict against a man whose capacity in its use is superior. Therefore, work on your violence capacity and develop it, certainly not to use it recklessly or without principle, but at least in order to defend yourself and others from those who can also harness the power of violence for their own ends.

Could You Become Batman?

Is it possible for a man to become a superhero? Let me first clarify my definition of the term. By "superhero" I do not mean someone who simply puts on a cape and a costume and goes out stalking the streets attempting to play out some kind of fantasy. I mean a real-life version of Batman. Could there possibly be somewhere in the world today a gifted man out there that just might have what it takes to legitimately claim the title of real-life Dark Knight?

Let me define some parameters regarding what it would take to be some kind of real-life equivalent of Batman. Note that these parameters are based on my own observations and conclusions about what the Dark Knight is capable of, based on my viewpoints reading into the character. So opinions may differ as to the exact specifics of what it takes, but nonetheless I am sure that most readers would agree that it would take quite an extraordinary set of traits and abilities to assume that nonpareil title. Firstly, we must recognize that Batman is a stalwart defender of innocent civilians from predatory criminals. He is first and foremost, beyond all of his martial arts prowess, his athletic supremacy, his intellectual brilliance, a personage of great moral character. I think this fact tends to be lost among the general public understanding of this character, and this is similar to the situation for Superman. Beyond all of his superpowers, his super strength, super speed, laser beams, frost breath, and flight abilities, Superman's greatest and most formidable quality is his awesome moral character. He always does the right thing, he is always wise, always just, and always faces any situation he finds himself in with a heart toward doing the most good. He is the epitome of the noble gentleman, the chivalrous knight, the boy scout grown to manhood. Batman is fundamentally similar in this regard as well, in that the most powerful aspect of his personality is that his moral principles are what forms the core of the character, not his powers or abilities.

Let us not forget the importance of abilities for a Batman, however. After all, we are talking about the possibility for a man to become a superhero, not just about how good and righteous a man can be. If a man is fundamentally benevolent and just, then no doubt is he a great contribution to humanity and society and would be a great guy to know in your life if you ever had the pleasure of knowing him, but this is not exactly what we are discussing in this instance. We are talking about a comic-book type of translation here. Of course in real life those who are on the side of good, all those kind-hearted souls and fundamentally good natured people, are truly superheroes by any definition. But in order for someone to be classified as a real-life superhero in the comic book sense then he or she must have extraordinary talents and abilities as well.

I shall break down Batman's general schedule and activities list for you based on what he must be capable of doing by nature of his profession, as well as depictions of what he does on a nightly basis on the mean streets of Gotham:

• During the day, he must play the role of Bruce Wayne, charming but foppish millionaire playboy, fooling everyone he encounters while at the same time gathering crucial information. He must also run Wayne enterprises, a huge corporate conglomerate, profitably and efficiently.
• After business hours are done, his "day" has just begun, he prepares his crime-fighting itinerary for the night and adjusts his gadgets and he leaves the batcave in his batmobile just after dusk.
• Throughout the night, he engages in strenuous acrobatics, jumping, leaping, and freerunning across buildings and along alleyways. He must run down criminals of varying fitness levels.
• In some cases he must fight multiple assailants at the same time, emerging victorious in every case. Also, he will encounter super-powered villains and his fighting skills must be such that he can defeat those with greater strength, speed, and stamina when necessary.
•  Batman will run into various obstacles and numerous situations that call on extremely quick reaction time and must respond with great competence and a calm, collected manner always.

So, what can we conclude from these points? Here is a man who can do it all. He can pretend to be someone else like a talented actor, has a highly developed scientific and engineering background, can drive expertly, knows his way around the city like an experienced taxi cab driver, has Olympic level gymnastics abilities, is a champion level mixed martial arts fighter, and is a supreme strategist and brilliant tactician. Oh, and he also is one of the world's greatest investigative detectives. He is basically five immensely talented men rolled into one. How's that for a resume? 

So, is Batman possible? The short answer is no. It is like asking if it is possible for someone to exist with the level of talent, skills and accomplishments, all combined, of Isaac Newton, Jim Thorpe, Bruce Lee, and Mohandas Gandhi all rolled into one. It's just not very likely. Based on all of the characteristics that is portrayed in the comics you would have to have a man who can bench press approximately 600lbs., run a mile in under 4:30, be able to hold his breath for 6 minutes, do multiple cartwheels and backflips quickly in a row, have an IQ of 150 or thereabouts, be a PhD level in science as well as in psychology, have an astronomical work ethic, and have been trained as a Navy Seal. Is it possible for one man to do a couple of these things? Sure. But all of them? Hmm. The odds are not at all high. You are not likely to encounter this person in your lifetime, nor in the lifetime of your grandkids' grandkids.

But who knows? These are ultimately my own speculations. I mean I would definitely agree that there are men who could, if they had the iron will power and exceptional self discipline, as well as the physical gifts and mental gifts, train themselves to become almost-Batmans. But as I have clarified, we are directly talking about Batman as he is depicted, not almost-Batmans or other examples reminiscent of superheroes. In order for there to be born a true Batman, I would speculate that that individual would have to be about a 1 in a 100 billion type of person. Just the mental capacity alone would disqualify about 99,999 people randomly selected. And then you would have to multiply that figure by the likelihood of someone possessing the awesome moral fibers, and the stupendous athletic potential, and yeah. Big numbers. But in a universe that spans eons, on a planet that already has 7 billion inhabitants, in a world that is becoming increasingly competitive, where greatness is being demanded to rise, in which societies are desperate for solutions to ever-increasing social problems and pressures, where the status quo is constantly being challenged, what are the chances of such an incredible man appearing, considering the long term future? That is a fascinating question, and in that case, it may actually only be a matter of time...  

To Specialize, or not to Specialize?

The modern pentathlon is a multi-sport event which involves shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian mastery, and middle-distance running. It is contested at the olympics, and there are also international world cup competitions. I find it fascinating that there is a sport which includes multiple sports within it, and the total average level of performance displayed in each is what determines the victor. I think the pentathlon fits in nicely with the tetrahedral, poly-faceted type of philosophy that I admire and try to emulate in my own life activities.

The pentathlon appeals to the renaissance archetype of a multi-faceted individual striving for greatness in various fields. The key to understanding this archetype is to realize that an individual involved in multiple endeavors is actually inspired by one single ideal that unifies his/her various pursuits. Striving for greatness in one arena, in sports, the arts, social prestige, and so on, is the tendency of the majority. But the renaissance spirit asks 'if one, why not the whole?'. Indeed. Why not attempt greatness in multiple fields? You should not be so predisposed to accomplishing a high level in only one sport, art form, or competitive activity.  Try not to limit yourself too much, you know?

Of course, it is not quite that easy. The reason why most talented people limit themselves to one area is that they want to specialize. In specializing, dedicating your focus and energy in one area, you can gain a level of skill and expertise that would not be matched if you had decided to branch out into different fields. There can be a significant cost to spreading yourself too thin. You do not achieve the level of ability in a single area that you could have, and that extra fraction of technique never gained or a slightly inferior understanding of the subject means that you do not attain that fine level of greatness that you would have if you had devoted yourself to the path of narrow specialization.

But what if? What if you go out into multiple fields, and in an overall sense achieve way more in total than you would have if you specialized? Isn't life about maximizing your potential? Aren't you limiting your potential by just doing one thing, even if you do it extremely well? That ultimately is for you decide, of course. Life demands the absolute best from you. You therefore must show your best in life each and every single day. To do any less would be a disappointment. It can be a hard journey, true, but your earnest efforts will provide a worthy reward. How can you accept doing any less than you are capable of, besides? As to the question of whether to take a more specialized approach or to be more broadly applied, you really need to possess the self-knowledge about your own potential and inclinations in that regard. I believe some are born more inclined and fit to be specialized, whereas others are in fact better for a broad, multiple endeavor style of approach. Whatever maximizes you is what makes sense.

The Virtue of Industry

 "The Last Anvil Makers" by Nathan Green

The moral virtue of industry is perhaps among the most important of all, at least in terms of achieving work related goals. Firstly, it is quite indispensable towards one's success in almost any endeavor which requires effort or energy. Whether you apply the specific terms of work ethic, productivity, labor efficiency, or other terms, you need to develop and maintain some form of applied dedication in your life. I personally prefer the use of the word industry, because I feel that it best sums up what I am trying to develop, among the related terms for work-related values. It is with this virtue that one can build enormous fortunes, move entire mountains, or clear out tons of excrement from their lives. One can never have enough industry in their attitude and being.   

Being industrious implies a number of things. It means that you strive to make the most of your time, it means you can put up long hours, it means that you are steady and consistent in your work habits, and it means that you get things done. It is a very powerful virtue, a driving force for accomplishment and progress that can and should be applied to everyday life. It allows you to check off from the to-do list all of your priorities in proper order and in due time, but it can also be applied with equal effectiveness on the minutiae such as reorganizing your favorite videos on Youtube. Once you reach a certain level of industry or let's say work rate, you are in a position to move up to the next highest tier, because you can always find that better way to employ yourself, that more efficient way to shave off a few minutes or move faster. The standard bar you apply on one day is meant to be broken on a future date, and surpassed yet again after that. You should never be entirely comfortable with a level you maintain in regards to industry, because there is always room for improvement somewhere, in some way. You cannot really be certain if you are maxed out even if you feel that way, because the reality may be that you are capable of doing much more.  

Being in a state of high industriousness is like living in a sacred place where time becomes a watchful and admiring friend. The experience is like moving through another dimension, doing things naturally with little pause or hesitation, like being in a fluid state of thought and immediate sustained action. It is like becoming a living machine which senses and experiences fully, except is almost unaware of limitations such as fatigue or difficulty. Industry overcomes, overpowers, forces submission and demands domination. Industry does not yield, it is an overdriving and sublime sensation when experienced at its height as an emotion. It is perfectly reliable, perfectly consistent, always intends to be of maximum use and always trys to eliminate that which is not a necessity. Time, actions, and eternity-this is industry.

Visions of Utopia

Given all of the poverty and suffering in the world, the economic disparities and the sociopolitical inequalities, the waste of human potential and the horrendous lack of medical care for most of the world's inhabitants, given this current state of affairs, it seems necessary to consider some possibilities for better and improved forms of government and social structures. Of course the real questions are how would this hypothetical new society take shape, and what would it look like? Can such a new civilization be planned in that it could be designed from the ground up as it were and then successfully implemented? What would it take to make the ideal society a reality?

Artists, writers and futurists have much to say on these matters, mostly by way of speculations and discussions rather than in presenting real solutions. Nonetheless, hypothesizing and employing one's creativity on this issue can be very helpful in many ways. One needs to imagine a structure before they can build it, and if we could combine both creativity with cold hard facts in a body of social, political, economic, and legal theories that can effectively form a new civilization then this is the important aim. In science, theory and practice cannot be separated (at least not for long), so we should be able to gauge if the new system we develop is working the way it is supposed to, and either continue on or adjust and refine. In using science and employing reason as a basis upon forming a new higher order of civilization, we need to define what we want, and be open to nontraditional views of running things. It can be difficult to imagine a social paradigm which is different from your own, and even in accepting a different way of life. But since what we have right now does not seem to be good enough, then improvement and advancement is necessary heading toward the future. And in the process of building such a new system, moral values need to be the foundation, and we should also recognize that the development stages can become an art as well as a science.

Perhaps it is the case that the next stage in the evolution of human development would be the realization that we are capable of creating our own form of social order, and thereby can also improve existing conditions if not scrap the whole thing for something better altogether. Maybe the next higher phase in human civilization is the capacity to produce new ways of living and being, based on reason and the understanding of scientific principles, particularly in regards to human nature, needs, desires, and activity.

I have considered the idea of tying together the mission of founding a new society with the Metistonic Order. Perhaps the mission statement could be something along the lines of ending world hunger and poverty, ensuring the education and health of all of the world's children, establishing bases of law and order in crime-ridden chaotic countries, defending indigenous tribes from exploitation, protecting the environment, preventing species extinctions, and so on, basically goals which would be considered morally respectable and also have a touch of the impossible to them. Ideally, the stated goals of the order should be those which are truly engaged in through organized action, are beneficial to the public welfare, involve members going on missions, and some of the goals could be perpetual (such as founding the perfect human society, etc.). In addition, there would be missions which support the growth, expansion, and the advancement of the order's interests. I do not have any exact framework for these matters as of yet, but in time I must work these details out. Also, I need to have a symbol set which would represent the order, I hope that I should discover something suitable eventually. Whether this new utopia is created by a super committee of reason or formed by some freeflow process from the ground up, as long it comes into existence is the main point.

One Key to Success: Intelligent Persistence

 

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again", goes a famous saying. I would have to disagree with that adage somewhat, only because it seems to ignore an important point that is necessary to consider if you are seriously trying to succeed at any endeavor. The point is that you need to make certain to employ strategy in your attempts. Good strategy is the key to victory in any situation you find yourself in. Strategy and solid tactical execution are the core ingredients towards the realization of a desired result. You should ask yourself what is the best move I can make at this point, from either the strategic or tactical perspectives and then make resolutely certain to do it. It is not simply a matter of trying and trying again and again until something works out for you. You need to be thoughtful about your approach, be willing to adjust when necessary, and keep your eyes open for openings. You should expect to "try, try, again", and certainly do so, but combine that dogged determination with stratagem. Use your brain. Be resolute. Be intelligently persistent.

Martial Arts Fitness



A triumphant gladiator (artist unknown)

If one were to take to training like a gladiator of Ancient Rome, wouldn't they be putting absolutely 100% dedication and effort into it, since their very lives would be at stake? My guess would be yes, because I don't think there are many things in life that would more motivate someone to achieve physical supremacy than a fight for survival.

What would an ancient gladiator's athletic program and training schedule look like? What was his diet, exercise regimen, and what did he learn at the gladiator school? There are a few tidbits and details that I have gleaned from reading some books and watching documentaries. One of the interesting things I noted was that gladiators did not consume much meat, if any at all. They ate a lot of beans, barley, fruit. Vegetarian/vegan type of stuff. Many of them were slaves, though some men signed up for the glory and the money. They practiced intensively. The gladiator profession is one of the most fascinating ways of life that guys could undertake in the olden days of Rome, and certainly would be so again today if it were allowed in modern times. One of the aspects that interest me (among many) is the training process these guys had to go through. How much more motivated could you be, when you were faced with the prospect of a fight to the death in your near future?  

As a gladiator headed out for the arena floor, he needed to be mentally sharp. In training, he would have to prepare a body that was physically fast, strong, and mobile, and be able to go full throttle for the duration of the fight. He certainly would need to be highly skilled in weapons combat, as well as be well-versed in unarmed techniques. The gladiator was perhaps the most physically fit of the ancient warriors. As an expert martial artist, he had to be lethally effective with his weapons, but also be fully capable in the realms of grappling, wrestling and striking. Top conditioning was the minimum standard that he had to maintain, and he had to master the complexities of weapons and armor fighting as well. Expert maneuvering, tactical understanding, superb execution of techniques, timing, all these factors and more were key to his success in the arena.  

I suppose we are fortunate that we do not have to worry about the consequences of not training to our absolute capacity in the athletic realm. But in a way, I think we lack a certain drive that a gladiator had to possess, an intense fire to be the best, to exercise to the limit that your body would allow, to learn, practice, and to get the most out of every training session so that you could perform at your absolute best when the scheduled day arrived. You would become a living weapon. Even if you were defeated, you would be proud to have proved your mettle on the coliseum sands.

We are lucky that we do not have to face the pressures and dire consequence of failure that the gladiators of old had to endure, but it is also the case that we are not as blessed in some ways as they were. We have to try to recognize the critical importance of training to the best of one's ability, and pushing ourselves harder whenever there is any question as to whether we are doing enough. If you have the wind to run another couple of laps, and your legs do not feel like spent, burning jelly after an exercise run/jog, then no, you probably are not pushing yourself to the limit. Now, you do not want to injure yourself unnecessarily, and must be aware of some limitations, but when in doubt, go harder. This principle does not only apply to athletic training, but in all arenas and testing grounds of life.

The Ideal Man II

Artist unknown

Artist. Philosopher. Medical Doctor. Athlete. Entrepreneur. Is there a best type of man, and ideal occupation which all must admire and respect? It is certainly the case that one who practices an admired profession may not in any other respects display ideal or worthy characteristics in temperament and personality. So at the core of an ideal man is his own character, what makes the man who he is and what he does and why he does it. At the center of it all, is the "soul" or the mind, or whatever you want to call it, but that is what forms and molds the man, much more so than any other more superficial traits he may possess or titles he carries. If a man or woman is a cardiac surgeon, for example, or a high powered lawyer, is that because they planned cleverly and worked hard for that position, or does it have more to do with their parents bequeathing unto them priveleges that most people can only dream about? Does talent and determination a great career make, or is it moreso a matter of life circumstances and financial resources? The reality seems to be an uncomfortable mix between the two.

What does appear to be the case however is that there exists the potential for any man, if they truly dedicate themselves to it, to go beyond what is considered "average" or "normal" and progress onto a level more advanced than most people would guess to be realisitc. I am referring to any realm of human achievement, inner and outer. Whether it is in the area of self-mastery ie to stop abusing alcohol, or in the area of being elected to the political office they set a goal for, great progress is possible for those who strive for more. Who sets the bar besides? No one can truly say with certainty if a man is capable of this thing or that (unless there is substantial evidence for the assertion).

I suppose one way that you can try to define the ideal man is by comparing and contrasting him with the average man, or better yet, the mean and spineless man. The ideal man engages in the cultivation of the soul, because of his romantic nature or through concerted effort. The mean man has a strong tendency to engage in either idleness or moral debasement. The ideal man has a passion for progress, the mean man has a complete lack of ambition for himself and lacks any desire for wellness or good for the society around him. I could go on for a lot more examples, but you get the point. A good reference regarding this concept that comes to mind is the Confucian comparison of the high man and low man, which details basically what it means to be a gentlemen and a bastard, and how to tell the difference between the two.

It is important to have a passion for progress. One should keep the model for the ideal man in mind sometimes, if at least for comparison's sake. In doing this, you will probably feel some slight sense of shame or a twinge of dissapointment, because you will most likely not match that ideal that you have in your mind and wishes. But that is okay. In my view, being and living the example of the ideal man is a bar which may be perpetually out of reach. He is a figure that exists in some higher plane, he lives in a hallowed place one strives to reach, ever the hero that we wish we could be but we would nonetheless feel unworthy if we had to take his place today. Or tomorrow for that matter.

We each can have our own versions of what an ideal man is, how he is like. I view an ideal man as super fit, super smart, tough as a rock, passionate, aggressive, competent, capable, ambitious, and principled, in a nut shell. There are different versions, based on one's own beliefs and preferences, with a few universal or very common traits that would show up in all descriptions I suspect. But whatever the model for you, do some comparing and striving, not necessarily to emulate what you typify an ideal man to be, but rather focused on what you can do to better yourself and society. Live your own ideal, in terms of your goals, self mastery, actions, and have the courage and backbone to do your best in all circumstances.

Defensive Vigilance

Eye of Horus/Ra, for me an excellent symbol for being vigilant

One of the best moral virtues out there that I need to develop is that of defensive vigilance. You must be vigilant about your life, be aware of potential pitfalls and dangers in any course of action or inaction, watchful of your surroundings when driving a car, be vigilant about numerous things. You must defend yourself from the cruel fickleness of fortune to the best of your ability. Thus, be defensively vigilant. This virtue involves never allowing yourself to be unprepared from any events which have a reasonable chance of occurring. You must counter any attempt on the part of other parties that would result in your disadvantage or harm. If the course you are on is not amenable to maximizing your health, prosperity, peace of mind, and freedom then you are obligated to change the course towards a more correct path, by whatever means. Try to maximize opportunities for getting lucky. Try to make fortune your friend as much as you are able to, and not your enemy. In poker, for example, as in everyday life, if you are not in a position to benefit from potential good luck (perhaps you folded out of the hand), then in such situations you will never witness lady luck's good side. Unlike poker, however, life gives you opportunities to get lucky without risking much if anything, oftentimes. What do you ever lose by seeking out opportunities or applying for a better job with more pay? Even if you fail or the opportunity doesn't pan out, you will have gained experience. There are many areas in which defensive vigilance must be maintained so that you can ride smoothly when others crash (particularly those who don't pay attention or who are not careful). Also, never make a mistake you already learned from. Seemingly obvious, but sometimes not adhered too.  

Forming Goals

Hikaru Nakamura, 2-time US chess champion, Grandmaster

"If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it" once said Lord Kelvin. I don't think this statement is really totally true in my assessment, but I can certainly see where he is coming from. You certainly need to have a clear, assertive mindset about what you are trying to accomplish and the consistency to get things done. You need to be aggressive, persistent, and resourceful. Here are some goals I have in mind that I plan on accomplishing as well as some details regarding their nature and execution, via the tetrahedral concept:

Athletic/Physical: I need to increase my stamina so that is my main focus as of now. Looking at the big picture, I am trying to maximize all aspects of my body's abilities in a general balanced manner. I do not want to train in such a way as to hamper my performance in another area (lose so much weight that it hurts my strength even as it dramatically improves my stamina for example) but an ideal maximal balance must be struck. I do not have any strong preferences in regards to the areas of strength, speed, stamina or agility. I think I shall focus on the best balance overall. At present time, I intend to increase my performance capabilities in all areas (perhaps with emphasis on stamina since this is a weak point). I want to be as strong as a football player, swift as a badminton player, as energetic as a soccer player, and as dexterous and coordinated as a ballet dancer (collegiate, division II type level). If I can reach that general athletic level then I will consider where to improve from there. By the age of 29 I intend to accomplish this. In order to do this I must exercise regularly and at high-moderate intensity. Serious training must be engaged at least 3 days a week, with mild workouts almost daily.

Intellectual/Mind: Fundamental to this aspect are the mental processes and the enhancement of its general capacity, such as the accumulation of knowledge, the improvement of reasoning, developing mental clarity, practical sense, abstract thinking, problem solving, calculating speed, combining and comparing facts and ideas, the ability to employ or to adapt to new contexts conceptual understandings, the strengthening of memory, and enhancement of creativity, as well as numerous other areas regarding the performance functions of mind and the increase of intellect. There can be found a bit of overlap between some intellectual and moral imperatives, but there is a fine distinction. Displaying restraint and possessing self-discipline in the face of strong emotion is a moral imperative, but understanding the process regarding exactly how this technique is to be achieved is an intellectual imperative. I would say that the prerogative in terms of my description of intellect/mind is that it focuses on how the brain works better and can perform best. I try to be a dynamic thinker, and my main goal in this area (or my main inspiring motivation) is to possess a sharper, more competitive intellect than anyone else. I think I have the talent to produce some exceptional results with the brain I have, and I train in order to build maximally on my natural advantage.

Moral/Social: The moral aspect in the tetrahedral construct comprises not only of personal ethics, but also goals, values, community endeavors, duties, career, family, social involvements, romance, faith and spiritual matters, and the development of wisdom. It may also encompass economic pursuits, the proper execution of social roles or responsibilities such as leadership, and the initiation of missions. Life experience, journeys and struggles, as well as emotions (from romantic to vengeful, nostalgic to visceral) can all strengthen one's moral foundation. It is both individual and introspective as well as goal-related and socially-oriented. It is also the pursuit of dreams, and can include such activities like drafting blueprints for goals that one wishes to achieve. It expresses itself in each individual in their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Overall, perhaps this is the most important aspect of the four.  What are my personal aspirations? That would be too simple to list, and I know them all clearly enough already. My work is to ensure that I do what I need to do, and go at the world everyday at 100% power.

I have already listed my Skills/Capabilities goals in my notebook, so it is not necessary to repeat that file here. I am not sure if a rigid, exact, detailed schedule can effectively be implemented on a daily basis, though it is certainly the case that I must have a clear idea of what I am going to do everyday, by the week, by the month, and so on. The goals I have come up with and the plans that I have devised must be resolutely stuck to, unless of course I am presented with a necessary change of plans, based on the continuing circumstances.

Beautiful Architecture

Beautiful architecture inspires me. When I see a well-built and aesthetically attractive building a feeling wells up within me. It is like a kind of mellow happiness and a sense of appreciation rolled up into one emotion. That is why I have chosen Architecture as a field of study in my skills to train in list. I also wanted to add something creative or artistic to my skills list so that I had a plan that was more well-rounded. After all, those great Italian renaissance men all had highly developed artistic backgrounds. Not that I would compare myself to someone possessing the magnitude of talent of Leonardo Da Vinci, but nonetheless I do intend to pursue training in this field in order to see what I can do. Architecture is an area where I have passion as well as perhaps some potential for. So, even assuming that I will never be able to match Andrea Palladio in sheer ability, I genuinely do believe that I can touch that wonderful divine essence of beautiful architecture in some new piece, a setting, a building, somewhere at some time in the future. I have some ideas in mind.

On Poker

A classic game

A game of poker, a universe of possibilities. Like all of the great games of strategy, there is much one can learn from playing this game, many lessons applicable to everyday life. One can access greater insights into the nature of various aspects of strategic thinking. From calculating probabilities intuitively, to psychological manuvering, to plain old step-by-step calculation, to long term future projection, to puzzle solving, there are indeed numerous benefits from the practice of these games.

My personal pick goes to poker. A very subtle game, fairly tough to master. It is not immediately obvious how to win at this game, and it has quite a steep experience curve one usually needs to attain before becoming very good at it. I say experience curve rather than learning curve because it seems to me that poker is much more reliant on actual play experience as compared to some other games. You can learn all of the tactics and positions regarding chess from books, but in poker the books are usually not as helpful, mainly because of the nature of the game. Poker is defined mainly by general rules of thumb, few absolutes, and requires lots of decision making, keen opponent observation and in-game tactical adjustments. In comparison, chess can perhaps be considered a simpler endeavor. A computer can beat a world champion chess player, whereas in poker there has never yet been devised a program that can consistently perform at a high rate of success. But then again, world champion poker players can lose at a table of rank amateurs (it happens not that infrequently too), whereas in chess this is extremely rare. It would be considered borderline miraculous if Vishwanathan Anand took on the local high school chess club champ and lost (unless that kid was a reincarnated Tigran Petrosian). So here you have an interesting dichotomy in those two games of chess and poker. Perhaps a new game can be devised which combines aspects of both, or other games of strategy and psychology which test various aspects of the mind going up against other minds or even testing one's own mind (hopefully more challenging than solitaire).

How to Conquer the World

A medieval mongol warrior, artist unknown

In modern times, is it possible to launch a campaign of global domination and succeed? Before the modern era, it seems embarking on a crusade for world conquest was simpler. All you needed were enough hungry men with nothing better to do, horses, weapons, some strategy and leadership and then bingo, that was your base for global domination. Things are more complex now in the modern world. So is world conquest still an achievable goal?

Personally, I think that it may be even more possible to unite the world under one dominion today than it was in the medieval past. With the global network of trade, communication, travel, people, etc., the base of options are wider and opportunities much closer and within reach for each individual. You just need to have the money, knowledge, and connections to make things happen.

So what would be a feasible plan to embark on regarding a mission of conquest? Most dictators for example will stay within their local domain of cultural heritage and you do not see many cross-continental wars occurring post 1950. They seemed to have been cowed by the modern capitalist republics and their military power, which is based on a rich tax source produced by the free market model. But then again, the Soviets had an immense military capacity based on a communist/socialist model. It seems that an aspiring world ruler can operate under either the communist or capitalist system, and can potentially gain power under either a democratic or totalitarian government. Personal preferences aside (mine being democratic and socialist/capitalist), how does one become a ruler of a kingdom of his own, not necessarily a country much less the entire world (my ambitions are aimed at the local kingdom level)?

You need a plan in order to gain a kingdom of your own. In general, you need to amass resources, economic, social, and political (especially economic). Then you leverage all of those resources towards your goal, obviously in this particular case as specified by the premise, which is obtaining rulership of your own "kingdom". Kingdom to me means the sum total of domestic and socio-political power. Domestic power to me means a house (such as a palace complex), land, wealth, ownership of goods, technology and labor (servants, specialized professionals). Socio-political power is control of the social and governmental environment (having a high class rank, possessing above normal legal resources, access to higher education, government influence), also an ability to influence society through religion, media, politics, or business (in the socialist and capitalist societies). So the key is reaching a certain level in these fields in order to be able to do those various things you have in mind.

When you have a complex plan, it is often the case that you need to do something else before you can do the big plan, first by reaching a medium step, and then to take that medium step, you have to execute a smaller plan first. It is like trying to reach the top floor from the lobby, you have to get to the in-between floors first, and to do that you have to take all of the steps in between to reach the next floor, hence you can climb to the top. This is assuming that it is not possible to jump that far from where you are at, if this is not the scenario you find yourself in, then by all means take the leap for it. 

To answer the premise of this entry, "How to Conquer the World", my answer is this, that it seems unlikely to me that I can achieve even a kingdom (which is my goal) if I do not first attain a huge fortune (living in a mainly capitalist republic). I do not have an exact plan for how to do this as of yet, and my current resources, training, education, and status are all at a novice level. But I am working on this and making progress.   

Mastermind a Plan

                                                                        (The mind: powerful and mysterious)

A plan. You should always have one, at least in of all of the major or important aspects of your life. Having a plan doesn't mean that you possess the perfect blueprint for success (if such a thing is even possible to create in complex and fluctuating situations). What it does mean, though, is that you come to the table prepared, much more ready and formidable than if you had no plan whatsoever. So plans are good, even great to have in place, as compared to the alternative.

Now, there are 3 phases in regards to any plan. Phase 1: Make the plan. This implies that you have some understanding of the situation, the possibilities involved, and what options you can bring to bear on the task at hand. You employ your problem solving skills here, which is your Method, your creativity and resourcefulness, as well as logic and calculation. Try to be accurate, but of course you should not honestly expect perfection. Try to take account of all of the variables, the possible twists and turns, and develop a back-up plan whenever feasible. Phase 2: Enact the plan. This part should be obvious, but definitely needs reiterating because the simple fact of the matter is, if you do not execute the plan that you have spent time and effort devising, then why did you even bother to create one in the first place? It requires discipline, resolve, and consistency in work habit to start a thing and finish it. This applies to your planning as much as anything else. If you have a plan, please execute it, even if (especially if) it requires a big ballsack to get the job done. Phase 3: Evaluate the results. You know, observe what happens and take mental note of how it all went down. You do this automatically of course if you just pay attention in your life in general. It is a learning process. You learn from experience. If you commit errors, you do better and become stronger for the next round. And it's as simple as that. If you need to adjust or change your approach, then good, do whatever it takes.

A question I have asked myself before is whether thinking or action is superior. We recognize that they are both important, but morally and logically, is one superior to another? By nature I am more a thinker. But action is where the rubber meets the road, where goals get met, where dreams become realized. So, based on this fact, I am somewhat envious of those who are action-taking dominant. It is an aspect of myself that I must strengthen.

Martial Arts Mastery

What are the keys to mastering the martial arts? Regular training, dedication to improvement, and real competition. By real I mean as close to actual combat as possible, without risking serious and life-threatening injuries. I think that is an Achilles heel with many of the martial arts today, there is sometimes a disconnect between the techniques that are taught and practiced and what will actually work in a real fight. The nature of fighting at its core is about taking out your opponent, through effective and efficient techniques. It is an art and a science, and it can be serious business. So in training, one of the aims for practitioners should be to put themselves in as close a situation as feasible to the real thing, in as much varieties and combinations as they might encounter in street situations and what have you. One interesting area that hardly any martial arts seem to include is the prospect of fighting multiple opponenets at the same time. I remember I had an Ashihara Karate book that maybe had something in there about fighting multiple guys, but that is the only reference that I have come across from a reputable practitioner that had suggestions on that situation. I wonder why there isn't more instruction on how to deal with that scenario when it arises.

Developing one's fighting capabilities is clearly a necessary and advantageous thing to do, at least from my perspective. There are certain martial arts that seem to be much more reliable in generating that ability, such as muay thai and brazilian jiu-jitsu. As of present times though, there is a great deal of experimentation among the best practitioners to try out new techniques or to improve existing approaches.

The athletic aspect cannot be ignored. You can be physically weaker and slower than someone else and still dominate a fight if you know what you are doing and have superior training, but nonetheless you do want to strengthen your athletic capabilities in order to carry that power into your fighting.

Metistonic Man

                                                                                    (The samurai ideal)

So what is metistonic man? That is the question I will try to answer in this article. He is not a samurai, or conquistador, or shaolin monk, or scientist exactly, or even a renaissance man. He is rather the combination of many aspects of these types, forming a new type for the modern world. I would describe an idealized set of characteristics by using the following words: ambitious, yet principled, competitive, yet selfless, physically gifted, intellectually gifted, and exceptional generally.

I will provide some hypothetical examples of what metistons should generally be like, mostly in terms of what they do: Metsiton Guy 1-Winner of an Olympic bronze medal in water polo. Active in boxing, having an extensive amateur career as well as a few professional fights before deciding to focus on coaching. Plays backgammon. Paints semi-professionally. Has an MBA from Stanford. Has his own business in renewable energy solar panel and windmill manufacture (with order funding and involvement). In semi-retirement, lives in Honduras working with the order on various missions (mainly charity related) and coaches new disciples in boxing skills. Metiston Guy 2: Decides to join the metisonic order as a young man. He qualifies, passing the tests and evaluations and by performing the duties and achieving tasks, gaining full membership at age 22, after only three years. Started a non-profit to prevent malnutrition in children in India. He likes track sprinting, training in it intensively but not wining any top flight competitions. He can outrun all the other members in his regional HQ except for one guy, the current metistonic champion in running. He can speak 3 foreign languages. Has a BS in Computer Science. Does computer work, and much of the training (as well as funds to pay off his student loan) comes from the order. Metiston Guy 3: Former green beret, looking to do more in life after the military. Looking for a group of ambitious men to join. Applies his military training for the benefit of the order, and in return gains resources (legal, medical, social, etc.), and through performing some necessary missions earns land and money. Has a BA in History. Is a competing triathlete. Picks up the plumbing trade. Learns many skills from the order. Actively participates in recruiting campaigns for the order.

On some other key points and musings:

An interesting question is how to rank mastery or quality in the arts, sciences, and other areas if a clear objective system is not in place. For example how would one determine who the best authors or architects are? It is key to know how good the level of capability and performance is in all the various fields, athletic, intellectual, technical, and artistic, for comparison purposes.

It is quite important, in everyday life, for one to figure out if what they are doing is anywhere near their actual capacity. Can you achieve more, and do more, or are you operating under a low bar or limiting pretenses? Find out, and fix it when necessary.

As a society we need to encourage amateurism in all fields. Adult training, continued learning, certifications and competitions for non-professionals are all highly beneficial for a society.

The Order is about overcoming limitations. It is usually the case that failure or success is a matter that is largely chosen by the individual and his own consistent actions, or lack of them. This does not wholly apply in the case of competition against others, but in the case where there is no force or intelligence actively acting against you,the matter of success is very largely in one's own hands. There is the imaginary supreme model that all mestistons can look up to, maybe call him "granda oni", perfect in wisdom, morals, intellect, athletically supreme, an Adonis and a Daedalus in one man. "The big thing about Batman is the he is the ultimate generalist. That is, he has well-rounded ability in just about everything but isn’t the best at anything except being Batman. So, in the context of what Batman can teach about training, it means train to be very good at many things. Diversify in your training in order to specialize in being you.", is the quote from an interview of E. Paul Zehr. His book on batman training was quite misleading and was really about human physiology, but this quote he made is a good one. Nature has provided us with the tools to overcome her.

Fun activities, sports and challenges that men can do in a group should be on the schedule at HQ.

Oh, and what does the official flag for the order look like? So far I am thinking about a triangle with a circle at each point, representing the triumvirate goddess of order, nature, reason. Maybe she could be called "The Lady of Reason". "The difference is, our gods are real", can be an oft-used phrase in signifying the contrast to other religions. And also, some kind of technologically customized platinum/diamond medallion or ring can be given to each metiston upon his entrance into full membership status.

Seven Fundamental Sciences

 

I am not quite sure when it happened. I think it might have been when I was about 21 or 22, which was about 3-4 years ago. Somewhere around that time in my life, is when I really got it. It was a magical realization, like a brilliant cascade of sunlight into a formerly dark curtained room. It was the realization of the magnificence of science. Science is power. Incredible power. It is an incredible tool that can be used towards any conceivable end. It is bar none, hands down, the very best method of discovering "true" knowledge, in terms of factual reality. Science is also a way of looking at the world, that does not negate religion, nor does it kill human meaning and the need for faith, but gives unto us a challenge to find empirical evidence for belief systems rather than requiring us to persist in believing nonsense, such as many of today's religions require us to do. Why not create a new religion instead which in essence would be based on science that does not contradict factual, observable phenomenon? I have been considering such a plan in the past few months.

So regardless of what your career path is going to look like, or whatever you plan to do with your life, it would be a fundamental mistake if you decided to totally ignore science. You should at least familiarize yourself with the basic principles. Learn some higher math, pick a science area that catches your interest, whether it be physics, chemistry, biology, etc. and study that a little bit. It is only a benefit for you to do so.

I have come up with my own pet theory about how to classify the sciences. I think there may be 8 major sciences. These are Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Mathematics, Method, Physics, Social Science. I will explain further on "Method", which I feel is an area that is not sufficiently covered in beginning science courses. Method is the study of the philosophy of science, as well as research practices, principles of reasoning, evidence, and argumentation, and also covers applied science wholly. On another note, I know that Social Science is not considered a science in the same sense that the other subjects listed are, but if progress is made on employing more rigorous methodology to that field it has the potential to eventually become a "hard" science rather than an academic or scholarly field which it is today.

To make a scientist, I think at least 5,200 total hours of study and training would be necessary, as well as basic proficiency in 6 of 8 fields of science according to the above classifications. Basic proficiency roughly means 400 hours of training or study.The requirement of a minimum of 1,200 hours (of the 5,200 hours) in Mathematics and Method combined (both of which must be included in any 6/8, 7/8, or 8/8 plans) should be completed. Note that outside of the 2 required fields, a scientist-in-training may choose his or her own plan of study (meaning that they can exclude up to 2 major areas, place more emphasis on certain fields over others, choose to specialize highly in 1 or 2 fields while placing 400 hours in the others, etc.). They would need to pass tests, have additional field work experience or lab research, and write papers as well. I am just presenting this structural plan because it seems to make more sense than the way PhD programs are offered today in the sciences, with their overspecialized focus.

On a concluding note, I will share an observation with you. As important as book study is, studying from the books and texts in combination with hands-on experience and activities is triply beneficial. This doesn't just apply to science studies (where you can make up and try out your own experiments, carefully mess around with some chemicals, etc.) but to all types of studies. Whatever you are studying, don't just learn it all from a book, because you would almost certainly be missing out on a whole treasure trove of hands-on experience and real-world practice that would truly complete your studies. True knowledge I believe comes from the keen and eager absorption of all sources that are available for it. The adding of direct experience and example from the world, people and nature in combination with book knowledge is an interaction that produces great results. Either path alone, personal experiences and trials, or reading and writings only, cannot produce as strong rewards as when in combination.

Science requires precision in definitions.

The Path to Greatness II

                                                                                 (From Beijing Olympics 2008)

Obviously, it will require dedication. It will require discipline. You will need to be resourceful. You are going to have to come up with answers on how to achieve various goals, even if the answers are not immediately apparent. There are near infinite options and possibilities, attune your mind to success. Be industrious. Do not let up, be relentless. Naturally, you are going to push yourself towards what you believe are your limits. You are going to have to order your mind and behavior, in such a way as to maintain that level of near-perfection of performance in daily life engagements. Keep your house in order, literally and figuratively, and the benefits of doing that will be evident over the long run.

Yes, be like Batman. But be your own kind and version of Batman. I think it may be wise to have an artistic/creative skill and a trade/profession skill requirement under the skill section of the tetrahedral plan. Also, though there is already a science and math study requirement, as well as a language acquisition requirement under the intellect section, in addition to a logical/strategic game option, perhaps I should add an intellectual endeavor requirement, to list under the skill section.

I used to avoid fiction books because I had this conceit that valuable knowledge only came to you in the form of non-fiction. This I have realized is incorrect. Sometimes the most incredible ideas and thoughts can be inspired from good works of fantasy. Ideas are themselves a great source of power. True knowledge is not only the accumulation of facts, but also of ideas. You see, more ideas in your mind means more options, more possibilities, and thus greater power. I do think still that one should spend their majority of reading time in non-fiction though, unless you are a fiction writer by profession.

People are born with potentials, with an endless variability of talents, predispositions. Obviously, most do not cultivate their talents, and often times do not discover them. It is a lamentable situation that faces all of us in life, that we will not be able to absolutely maximize what we are truly capable of in each of our lifetimes. But my philosophy is that we should strive towards that absolute limit of greatness and perfection, and go as far down that line as each of us can. The results at the end may surprise us. In regards to your training, keep in mind to seek and employ the most effective methods, and be most productive with your time.

I do not feel that there are enough tests that currently exist in the realm of testing the mind's capabilities. The IQ test(s) are a good start, but obviously there must be ways of testing other areas that are important, and improvements that can be made in general intelligence testing as a whole. So far as I know, the Raven's, Wechsler's, Woodcock-Johnson's and Stanford-Binet's tests do not go in-depth in the areas of creative or social intelligence to a significant degree. So tests for those areas can be devised and added into the current system, for just one example where improvements can be made.

Conceptions for a New Order

                                                    
What is the nature of the Metistonic Order? What are it's goals? What are it's tenets? How do you attract members and not only sustain the strength of the organization, but also expand in scope, power, and influence? These are just some of the questions that I need to answer.

My idea is that of a fraternal organization, whose members are dedicated and ambitious men, seeking achievement in the realms of the intellectual, athletic, and social fields related to power, prestige, fame and wealth. It is basically a society open to all (who are able to reach the requirements, and who are male) who are inspired by the ideal of perfection, greatness, and mastery in life. I imagine there will be a training process, where there are disciples who seek the Metiston title and engage in trials and attain accomplishments in order to do so. This would be an unprecedented organization as far as I know.

The model of a Metiston is best exemplified (among those ideal types that have existed in history) by the concept of the Renaissance man. Is this intended to be a secret organization? No, some methods, practices and rituals might be kept within the group, as well as some sensitive operational matters (hypothetically, such matters like certain business dealings in African countries, etc.), but for the most part, it will fundamentally be an open, universally accessible organization run on meritocratic principles.

Some responsibilities as a full Metiston includes keeping one's body in excellent condition, developing the mind, sharpening reasoning, accumulating knowledge as a duty, maintaining ethical and moral standards (perhaps the most important, and given the highest severity in any reviewed violations), training and refining one's skills, and setting goals and achieving them. There would be principles and successful methods that one is conditioned to live by. There also may be general organizational goals that the group strives for and works toward collectively as well, such as the spread of the democratic system across the world (assuming that is currently the best known form of basic human governance). The Metiston is a man who is capable of doing much more than a typical man, by one definition, by way of his talents, skill set, discipline, will power, and training. Capable of doing, performing, changing, influencing, affecting, and succeeding at a much higher level in any human endeavor than the average or mediocre man. I personally am not (at the time I write this) yet a Metiston. Though I would be at the level of a disciple-in-training.

The nature of the process of initiating into the order may be similar to joining a college fraternity in some ways, minus the stupid aspects. But what I am looking to do is make the recruiting process more like joining a secret and highly selective organization. There would be a HQ, and a training center with all the related amenities (gym, dojo, etc.). There could be a process where disciples could train in secluded desert or high mountain HQs, to maximize the benefits of focused training if they so choose. There could be the option of a type of monkhood for the single guys who do not have too many obligations at home.

The ranking system must be based on merit, competence, experience and accomplishment. Perhaps there will be an abundance of titles and professions within the order, such as master fighter (for MMA), master mind (for general intellectual superiority) and so on, but not an excess of ranks, as the order should fundamentally be a democratic-egalitarian society. This organization must surpass at all levels other fraternal orders (such as the Masons). Ways to achieve a level of greatness and "badass" higher than other fraternal groups can include activities that members are involved in which have a great impact on world affairs, or are just plain fascinating and adventurous (missions of resource finding and business takeovers, land and property accumulation in Ecuador, political manipulations in Sri Lanka, etc.). The display of magnificent architecture in HQ buildings, the accumulation of resources for the organization, legal, financial, career, technological, can all play a huge role in this endeavor. Science and Reason will be big themes in the order, perhaps taking on an almost religious significance. I am of the opinion that the written language should be Hangul and the spoken language Esperanto, officially. Members could be given Metistonic names.