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.