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.

Best Sports & Physical Activities II

"Atlas" by Boris Vallejo

It seems to me that the best approach is to do well in every area. Train in all things, testing your physicality in all aspects. Have no weaknesses. Develop extra ability where you possess need, desire, or talent. Practice exercises and activities from cartwheels and handstands to traveling tuck jumps and bear crawls, among others. Try everything that is out there, if it adds to your overall athletic prowess, practice it. Go for the all-around approach. Of course, make sure to exceed in the standard athletic acts of the bench press, 1 mile run, and so on, above normal levels. This is not difficult to do, so see how far you can go. The hard part will be to do well in comparison with those who train much more exclusively in specific areas. But this is also possible, to match or perhaps even to exceed them, if you are smart and train well. Obviously, one cannot reach the highest level in all fields, in terms of competing in the finals for dozens of events at the Olympic games, but one can develop substantial overall prowess nonetheless. Then you can specialize in whichever specific area or sport you like. You can get good performance and capabilities out of your body. This is the general aim. A state of high fitness is fundamentally a good thing to have. You must be consistent in your training. Dedication to athleticism, the striving for physical perfection, this is the attitude that produces success, if it is willful and genuine. Find a sport to be passionate about, and excel in it. The strength, the speed, the endurance, the reflexes, the versatility and power are all at your grasp if you develop them.

There is an addendum to the Octathlon idea, and that is the change to the 200 meter sprint, and the triple jump for men and women. I think this would be a better set-up because it avoids redundancy with the other multi-sport events. Oh, and also the throwing event will be the hammer for both. In regards to that particular throwing event, there should be some modification. The current Olympic hammer is a wire and ball, but I find the Scottish hammer (from the Highland Games) or cane and ball set-up to be more appealing, perhaps because the chain and ball type item seems chaotic or dangerous in some ways. In addition, I have been considering a maximum height throw rather than maximum distance, as it tests different muscle groups and seems like a nice addition variety-wise for throwing competitions. There could be 2 new events included, both for height rather than distance perhaps. So, perhaps a short hammer and some kind of heavy sack/bag throwing event could be added, which adds variety and which one or both are height throws instead of distance throws. So a current revised model is as follows, Men: 200 meter sprint, 5 km run, triple jump, hammer (perhaps modified to cane), freestyle wrestling, table tennis, weightlifting, 100 meter freestyle swim. Women: track and field same as men, judo, tennis, archery, 100 meter freestyle swim. The structure could be more of an elimnation-tournament style, where perhaps the top 1/3 will continue on after the track and field portion, the top 1/3 again after the 3 non-grappling events, and the top, middle and bottom 1/3 of score totals placed into the gold, silver and bronze medal brackets respectively. Then the final grappling events will determine the medal recipients, with perhaps 1-2 golds, 2 silvers, and 3 bronzes awarded out in total. There will be no weight classes in the Octathlon. Also, I had the idea (which may not be that original) of awarding platinum medals for truly outstanding performance, such as multi-medal winning, multi-olympics spanning achievement. Or maybe a platinum ribbon for record breaking in 3 or more events.

There should also be consideration for diet and health. One should obviously try to maintain a healthy diet and engage in health-promoting activity, not just through exercise. I have been fairly remiss on these matters and perhaps I shall improve in this area.

Best Suite of Skills to Possess

The answer to the title of this post is dependent on what one is looking to accomplish and to a lesser extent their own circumstances, as ideally one seeks to maximize the benefits of their environment too. Specifically, in regards to this question, I do not have a specific answer in how to put together the absolute best possible skills suite. However, there is certainly a great source of information and hints available from a self-evaluation and there are many opportunities that one can seize and create for themselves.

I suppose one needs to have a desire for what they pursue, a true passion, or at least keen interest. Only if one does not possess an iota of potential or talent in what they like should they consider not pursuing it. At the same time, there are doubtless cases where one has exceptional potential in some field, if only they had an iota of desire or interest to pursue it. There are tremendous potential talents that have not been realized in all of the fields, and great works or performances which have been produced by those with relatively minor talent, but tremendous dedication and passion. So it is a fine balance that one should consider when pursuing his own skill set.

I would like to portray an example of perfection, from the realm of fictional characters. Batman, the great detective, scientist, athlete, and martial arts crime fighter. Here is a list of some speculative statistics he may possess: Mental- IQ of 150 or higher, world class investigator and forensic scientist, strategist and tactician of highest caliber (Napoleon would suck his balls), polymath (has solid skills in multiple areas in the arts and sciences, such as drawing, history, psychology, chemistry, even singing), fluency in perhaps 5 languages and proficiency in 5 more, R & D engineer, highly exceptional general knowledge (would beat 8/9 jeopardy contestants), acting and impersonation skill at highest level and impeccably performed. Physical- world class gymnast and acrobat, elite ninja abilities (stealth, parkour), world class fighter (boxing, muay thai, shotokan karate, freestyle wrestling, brazilian jujitsu, judo, kickboxing), if competing would place in the top 25 in the world at most olympic events and in sports like the decathlon would almost certainly take gold or silver, strength conditioning at highest level (can bench press perhaps 575 pounds), stamina and speed superb (reflexes topnotch, for size possesses remarkable speed like Bo Jackson running 4.12 in the 40 yard, also exceptional stamina for size), agility at exceptional level (balance, hand-eye, motor skills superb).

The above example is in order to illustrate the limits, or perhaps beyond, what is humanly possible to reach. So what I have done or am going to do with my tetrahedral plan is going to be something beyond what the vast majority of people have accomplished, but I think I can do it. I am not at a real to life same level of capability as Batman, but maybe I can reach something vaguely comparable to it. This is my general hope anyway. What I intend to do would place me in perhaps a 1/1,000 category of men, in terms of overall development (or higher). There are also the elements, the big elements, of attaining moral principles, of societal achievements, of family and community health and protection, personal prosperity goals, advancement and development of one's life in general. So none of these things are to be ignored. The journey of existence is to be savored, zestfully embraced and lapped up into the senses. See, feel, do, venture, experience, and much more. I strive to do my best in these endeavors.

Musings

I find the area of human motivation an interesting one. It relates to the skill of psychological tatics that I am working on. There is for example negative incentive versus positive incentive, one where there is compulsion or punishment, the other in which there is reward and positive encouragement. Incentive as a subject of study, understanding what motivates people and specific to individuals, what effects incentive has in a social environment as well as at the macro level, in terms of societies as a whole, can be beneficial. 

The great advantage of "western" societies is that they are fundamentally mixed, of different ideas, cultures, languages, races, religions, and everything else. Therefore, it is often the case that the most efficient or most effective of these eventually becomes the standard.

How to defeat writers' block? Or, how to get into writers' flow more often. Perhaps it is simply better to wait to get into the mood in the case of writing?

In a sense, the Metistonic Order is a fitness junkies' club, an intellectual society, a poly-trade association and a multi-cause organization.

One can achieve superior performance from sharper, more penetrating insight into a matter. Greater understanding and knowledge certainly helps in any endeavor. In regards to everyday life, you can achieve an edge, maybe a huge one, from a few extra hints and tips. In the four areas, superior know-how and understanding can make a big difference, in terms of what to practice on that most do not, how to do what you do better, etc. Let us say that no one knew anything about parkour. In such a hypothetical world, if you had extensive practice and know-how in this area, you could possess mastery of impressive feats of acrobatics that no one else could match at the time. Another example could be performances of legerdemain and magic that would awe those who did not know any of its secrets, as the indian rope trick so impressed those who first encountered it. Doing something in a particular way, using certain techniques and methods that no else one is using or is privy to, can also make a huge difference. The Olympic high jump for example was attempted by employing a certain technique for a while, until someone came up with a better one which has now become the standard, because it produces superior results. Seek that which can give you an edge, master that which gives you extra power and capabilities.

I imagine various beautiful works of art in and around the Metistonic HQ, statues, mathematical art pieces, symbolic architecture and features like a path of reason hallway.

Perhaps there should be a sacred oath for tradesmen, similar to the Hippocratic oath for medical doctors. Along the lines of "I shall make certain all work is sound" or akin to that. 

Rankings

One could rank the level of competition in sports, and which sports are more competitive and less so. They can do this by using the total amount of players who try out for college and pro level teams for one example. Also by the statistically average amount of hours in training for most minor league and college level players before they go to the elite level. I suspect that to reach the pro level in the sport of lacrosse may be relatively easier than to reach the NFL. Thus, a number will be attached to this, such as for example the pro lacrosse league maintaining a 4.3 and the NFL ranking 5.9 in difficulty/competition level.

Powers of 3 can be used to denote level of exceptionality. A person who is the best short-medium distance runner out of 243 athletes may be ranked a 5 (3 to the power of 5) in short-medium running. Someone who is the best knife fighter out of 81 tournament entrees would be rank 4, the best performer out of 27 in overall strength tests would be rank 3 in overall strength.