Could You Become Batman? II

Solomon Kane, puritan badass. I like to bring up the account of remarkable fictional heroes because I feel that one should strive to reach a state of ability that is essentially beyond the real mortal limits, such as these characters portray. However, I do not claim to know what those limits are, nor can anyone, so therefore there is a tiny spark of possibility that figures such as Batman or Doc Savage can be realized, maybe if only one had the proper extremely exceptional genetic profile, and the years and years of focused and dedicated training. The question that could be asked is what can a man do and accomplish if he were extremely talented, gifted well beyond the normal range? What kind of personality would he tend to have, or is it that such supermen vary in their personality types as normal people do?

Solomon Kane is an interesting figure to me for a few reasons. His main appeal is in recognizing that the wellspring of his success comes from his puritan heritage and cultural mindset. The abilities of the character are in essence natural extensions of the puritan way of life, imprinted on a remarkable individual. His work ethic is extreme. His frugality is notable. His discipline is tremendous. His faith is intractable. All traits of the prototypical puritan. His physical frame matches the characteristic ideal nature of the puritan, lean, but sturdy and well built. In addition, the character possesses extreme willpower and incredible physical strength. His fighting style is depicted as extremely efficient, and coldly calculating. He is explosively quick and frighteningly powerful. He can be a ferocious and terrifying opponent. Psychologically, he is guided by passionate, faith inspired beliefs (sometimes bordering on fanaticism) and is driven also by a deep wanderlust. He always speaks and acts with moral intention.

The puritan way of life is a fascinating subject. It is a great source for information and inspiration for those seeking a possible moral pathway. Of course, to the secular modern mind there is potentially much that is disagreeable in it, but regardless one can extract much insight and value from learning about the puritan cultural frame of mind.

I don't know if such a person as Solomon Kane could ever exist, or Batman or Doc Savage (my personal favorite), but as inspiring examples of what perhaps, maybe, I could achieve or at least come relatively close to, these figures serve their purpose for me. I strive to be the best that I can be, to reach for success, to do and to accomplish things beyond the average. At least in this regard, I have something in common with these characters, in that I endeavor to reach ever greater heights of capability physically and mentally, and that I attempt to achieve my goals and realize my ambitions with will and resourcefulness.  

How to Conquer the World III

I have come to realize that it begins with oneself. The conquest of the world begins with mastery of your own conditions, as well as your own self to some extent. Firstly compose your energies and organize your being into an effective instrument. Control your environment to make it most amenable to your progress. If you are not perfectly suited to achieve in life, then you are in greater danger of failure proportional to your distance from perfection. No one is absolutely perfect in the pursuit of goals, yet one must strive to be. The further you are from being a perfect conquest machine, the greater the possibility of failure and ruin. Therefore, you must work out the kinks and issues that you may have that either hinders you or flat out prevents you from doing that which is necessary to the success of your goals.

I think in this sense the path of a Metiston allows one to overcome and conquer many obstacles and issues so that you can perform to the best of your ability. The Metistonic training is synonymous in many ways with the path of the Renaissance man. Some of the differences though include the greater emphasis on reaching the next highest plane of performance, of testing yourself and competing moreso, and of a few of the attitudinal aspects (greater focus on victory, conquest, some other aspects). Perhaps the comparison could be more generally described as less artist, more soldier/statesman. Also, given the prevalence of modern capitalistic societies, todays' Metistons need be more able in the merchant/trader/entrepreneur/opportunist realm, and much more ambitiously wealth-seeking than the Renaissance man model.

Where society rewards competitiveness and individualism, one must be extra competitive and extra individualistic. Where society rewards collectivism and altruism, one must be extra collectivistic and even more altruistic. To thine own self be true except where it is antithetical to your goals and aspirations. Excuses are aplenty, but the just and righteous man, the worthy man, just goes and does what should get done and has the stamina to do more than the average man will do. Life as you know can be quite brutal. Naturally, there will be fear, but you should try to take it all in stride and face down whatever comes at you with a solid stance and eyes fixed forward. In engaging work, taking a bunch of little steps consistently and regularly is better by far than inconsistent and random big steps. There is great adventure out there in the world to be had.

So, the path to world conquest begins first within yourself. You ignite a passionate fire inside of you to conquer the world outside metaphorically or literally. This type of inner fire does not need to spark again once truly ignited, but it is a steady flame that does not burn out. You need the willpower, the determination, the iron discipline to follow through consistently with goals in order to achieve them, and the perseverance to withstand anything tough that comes your way and go right on ahead. You have to got to be persistent, doggedly persistent. One struggles, then triumphs. So how do you go about with the process of unleashing your full efforts and exerting your real capacities? Just do so. Take it step by step, and then conquer it. Watch the time. Don't let anything or anyone stop you. Overcome limitations. Just try, try, and keep trying. Do, do and do more. I cannot provide exact advice on your particular situation, I do not know your particular limitations or what you specifically want to achieve, but the advice I will give is that you must do what you must do, and you must do also what you should do. Reason be your guide, and act accordingly. Go forth and conquer.

The Strategic Life

Life requires strategy. This is an infinite truth that needs to be known. Without strategy and tactics, one must rely entirely on previous experience and natural intuition. When good strategy comes into play however, this will open up possibilities and successes that are not possible without it. There is a sacred holiness in the employment of strategy. It is a divine act. The biological evolutionary process took hundreds of millions of years, indeed billions of years, to produce creatures capable of using strategy.  One can use strategic thinking in all arenas which have the least bit of predictability. Strategy and tactics can be applied to any system that is not completely random. Basically in almost all arenas of life there exists strategy.

As one learns from the game of chess, one of the most important lessons that is applicable to the game of life is to take into account all the known (or reasonably knowable, when applied to life) possibilities before making your move. Obviously you cannot take into account every possible outcome or permutation in life, but you must try to be aware of and clear about what can happen in most if not all situations. Develop your foresight, your imagination of various scenarios and how they should play out. Consider at some length and detail the options, the possibilities, and the results. Always think, then act. Never take an action without adequately assessing the situation. Think ahead. The only justifiable excuse not to do so is when you are in a particular type of situation where you need to respond with unhesitating speed, but those circumstances are generally quite rare. In everyday life, you can expect at least some bit of time in order to calculate your best move, and then execute it. Realize that you can exploit any systematic behavior, any circumstance that has regularity to it. Look into the future, imagine the scenario playing out, search for the soundest course of action, given all the factors. See the end points, then reason back. If you commit any errors, then learn from them and continuously improve your strategic process to the best of your ability. Sharpen your strategic acumen. It is a skill which can be developed. In my opinion, such an important skill MUST be developed. 

The use of effective strategy overlaps alot with the use of good reasoning and judgment. It is much like common sense, except heightened to a greater degree and on steroids. Abstraction is added, hypotheticals are further examined, there is more analysis and future screening. It takes a little longer than simple quick judgment, but it is well worth the time spent. Think before you do, set up a plan (even little ones for regular, small tasks), and always reason in the context of achieving objectives and ends. It is better to get things done sooner rather than later, all things being equal. When facing opponents, one needs to have predictive abilities of another's actions as well. This involves some personality and motivations insight, particularly in how they will react. Knowing their style and preferences is helpful too. Know the rules of any endeavor, build experience in it, and learn the best tactics and how to use them. Come up with masterful ways to crush your enemies.

Strategy is a universe in and of itself. Look for strategy in all aspects of life that requires it. Look at the permutations. There is a wondrous weave you can see of the future, full of dangers as well as rewards. Much of what you can see and how you will do will be based on your imaginative and logical capacities. Both must be strong, and work well together. The choices, options and possibilities are all around you. Try not to be blind to them. Learn from mistakes. Make corrections. Make anti-errors. Build up a defensive bulwark against unwanted circumstances. Maximize your odds of victory. Minimize the likelihood of defeat. Seek and maximize the advantages. Stop wasting time. Manage yourself in an orderly fashion. Plan out your day and night, have a clear notion of what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. Be efficient. Make good use of opportunities. Accumulate options and capabilities for yourself. If you have more options, more choices, and greater capability than your competition, you have the power. So seek to open up your options space. Game theory is a recommended area of study, though actual experience and competitions are by far the best arena for observation and learning. Practice the craft of strategy in life. It will also help you to develop discipline, good judgment, prediction/anticipation skills as well. There will be just rewards for well thought out, well executed strategies. There are going to be factors beyond your control, and failures due to your own error, but you must continually build up your ability in this most vital skill, because strategy is a most essential and necessary component in life. Use it wherever and whenever you need it (which is going to be many areas and often).

Absorb the World

Amsterdam

One should absorb the world and fully taste of its variety. The world has so much to offer you, in terms of  experiences, sensations and knowledge. There is so much potential to realize, so many incredible memories to be had, so much experience to gain. Even in the mundane occurrences, if it is novel for you, can be remarkable. Encounters and happenings with humans is endlessly fascinating. There are many cultures and languages, so you should try to familiarize yourself with at least one you did not grow up under. This has the effect of expanding your own awareness. Exploration is a key activity. Journey around, walk, see, visit. The greatest of all explorers recorded by history, Ibn Battuta, exemplified this creed with his life travels. This is the main reason I listed the learning of a foreign language as a necessity under the intellect domain. It has the ability to expand one's awareness, and that is power.

Life is like a neverending adventure. One must explore its depths, attempt to fathom its secrets. It is an infinite journey until the moment you die. The question that needs to be asked of yourself is what kind of life do you want to live? The modern capitalistic socio-political structure attempts to make 90% of the population into slaves or at least peons. That is, peon, as in "pee-on-me". Will you allow this to happen to you? Now, basically one does not really have a choice in this matter at first, however, you can figure out the system, how it basically works, and maneuver and work your way into any desirable position.

I must admit I have been a bit of a hermit for a good portion of my life. I am glad, in retrospect, that I have lived in many different places and settings throughout my life, because perhaps it countered my natural tendency to be a homebody and made me realize that there is a great big world to explore out there. So I certainly intend to get out more, and breath in deeply of the air outside (though I still enjoy staying home as well). I intend to run, swim, explore, and hopefully conquer and acquire wealth.

Thoughts Regarding Plans and Goals

We all have dreams and aspirations. Or most of us do anyway. I think most of us have goals that we work toward, some things in life we would want to do. Mine are somewhat unusual in some respects, and very ordinary in other respects. Mainly, I want to be very successful by achieving all the goals I set out for myself, and I would like to be healthy, be always productive, live according to my values and beliefs, and make a positive impact on society and the world when it is all said and done. I think that a few of us may have more clear and organized plans on how to achieve our goals and are also more determined to see those objectives realized than others are. Obviously, you either succeed at something you set out to do or you don't. It's really that simple. So therefore you need to have strong mental focus, be able to think clearly, be willing to learn from mistakes, and drive forward with intensity and passion. Personally I would like to count myself as among those few who possesses a stronger will towards seeing his dreams realized, as well as a tougher attitude and more resourceful nature in general. I feel this way because it seems to me that you really have to possess these kinds of qualities in order to be successful, and if I am deficient in some area I am certainly willing and able to overcome any obstacles that may limit me in these respects. It takes a lot to accomplish great things. You have to be serious about it. You have to do whatever it requires to make it. I think that a lot of people don't fully understand those facts and tend to maintain fanciful daydreams that will never be realized as opposed to having goals which they consistently and effectively work towards accomplishing.

For example, here are some athletic goals that I have in mind: Sprint 11.5 seconds for 100 meters. Run 1 mile in under 5:30. Jump rope for 25 minutes without break. Swim for 4 miles. Bench press 350 pounds. Shot put for 14 meters. Vertical jump 70 cm (27.6 inches). 75 chin-ups no dismount. Snatch 220 pounds. 4 continuous back handsprings with good form.

It is important that you attempt to push yourself to what you feel are your limits of performance. Once you have reached that height, attempt to go further. Generally, when you do things you must do them now, not later. Unless there is a specific advantage in doing something later, do it earlier. Certainly in getting things done you should not prolong or delay. Absorb knowledge, take in the world around you, awash your senses and sharpen your mind, gain experience. Have confidence, or at least maintain an attitude of firm resoluteness to take what comes with the sureness that you will do your best, regardless of whatever happens. Improve in any area you can. Seemingly tiny improvements, if there are many of them, can make a big difference. Be clear on how you spend your time. Be constant and persistent in productive activity, and in accomplishing objectives.

I might not succeed, but I can always try. I can and must always strive towards doing what is best.

Training in 4 Areas

Artist's rendering of Miyamoto Musashi

I've invented a training system that can also serve as a kind of life philosophy as well. I call it the "Metistonic Tetrahedron". It has four major components under which one can try to develop and improve themselves which should cover just about any realm of self-improvement that one can train in. They are grouped broadly into the Moral, Intellectual, Skill, and Athletic categories. It is into these four categories that one dedicates their desire, efforts and energies. You can decide specialize moreso into one or two areas, though you should try to develop all four and not ignore any one aspect. Keep in mind that I intend this philosophy to maintain a holistic approach towards life in general. It is meant to be a guiding framework for one's energy. I shall go into further detail of each:

Moral: This is the area where a man develops his moral nature, to the extent that it can be trained. This encompasses the ethical, social, communal, religious, spiritual, emotional, personal and social achievement, habitual, and the making of choices aspects of one's life. Living by principles or ideals, such as "Do not be lazy", "never procrastinate", and "dominate competition" are examples of rules that a man can choose to live by. Making the varsity team, getting the promotion, breaking a record, are some personal and social achievement examples. Being active in the temple. Donating to charity. Getting to know people better. Getting out more often to interact with and influence people. Developing practical sense, good judgement, steely resolve, interpersonal insight. Doing more work. Being competitive. Being orderly. A dedication to rationalism. Maintaining good health. Going vegan. These actions and attitudes will fall into this category. 

Intellect: This is the development of one's mental capacities in terms of learning, reasoning, comprehending, abstract thinking, calculation, creativity, auto-critique, and problem solving, among other mental aptitudes. This is about maximizing your talents in the general realm of intelligence. Now there are numerous elements of intelligence that one can practice and cultivate. Focusing on improvement in one single area at a time is alright, though you may also want to consider taking a balanced approach to development. It's like physical training in a sense, in that you shouldn't just exercise your legs and leave your arms alone. There is the fitness of the whole body that you should consider. But specializing in some particular areas could be a good way to go as well. Basically you want to find the best path for yourself, considering your own natural intellectual strengths. Whatever works for you is what should be done. To start, simply reading alot is one way to go in terms of the training methods. Reading is a reliable method for intellectual development, but of course there are also other methods and techniques to train which can enhance your mental capacities, such as memory games, crosswords, math activity, etc. Seek them and practice them well.

Skill: This can also be a specific discipline or trade. This is the bread and butter of the various things you can do, your particular abilities or talents. Your athletic and intellectual development can essentially serve as a foundation for the application of many skills. Though skills themselves are abilities that are to some extent independent of the level of physical fitness and mental development. This is the applications area of the mind and body, the abilities that you possess. This is earned through practice and experience. You can expect to spend significant amounts of time training in order to gain any valuable, complex skill. There are also many everyday simple activities which require training in order for one to be very adept at, to perform at a superior level to the average. The list of skills can pretty much run the gamut of the universe. Whatever you wish to be expert in. The goal in each is to master them as best as you can.

Athletic: This is the training of the body. You need to be in the best shape you can be. Fast, strong, agile and staminous. Whatever the limits of your genes are in the physical department, you should strive to build physical aptitude up to that level. We each have our own genetic profile which provides us with a certain range of ability. And personally I would like to see what my limits are athletically. Have goals, have in mind a general program, run with it consistently and continually try to progress and advance to ever greater capacity with your body. To be physically more powerful than that guy next to you, to run faster and longer than most men (certainly to beat the average), swim better, etc. This is the aspiration. Logically, if it be within your power to train and gain the ability to jump higher, climb higher, outrun, outlift, overpower others, move with better balance and so on, then why not? And of course, with good training you can reach higher levels of ability. In fact, with serious and consistent training, it may be possible to reach levels that may surprise you. Already I am able to do things physically that were basically beyond me a few months ago. You have to allocate appropriate time for physical fitness. As in all things, maintain focus, dedication and commitment.  Basically have a serious, no bull crapping type of attitude to getting things done and do it regularly. Maximize your progress and feel your rewards as well. "Citius, Altius, Fortius".

The general idea is to expand yourself. Strengthen your body, sharpen your mind, refine your character, and advance your skills. I think that in general, a person should be able to speak a foreign language, know basic science and math, be able to practice solid critical thinking, engage in regular moderate level exercise, be fairly capable in a sport, and possess a good level of competence in an occupation as well as possess expertise in another craft, art, trade or discipline. In addition, one's hobbies may include that which activates skill strengths, such as logical puzzles or artistic/creative games. If you have hobbies, why not have those which employ elements of your skill set? In your leisure time engage in those activities which have some kind of usefulness in other areas.

My Current Skill List

There are 13 skills that I am working on now. In my spare time (outside of making progress in my other goals) I intend to become as consummately skilled and accomplished in these areas as I am able to. I really must make the most of my time day-to-day, because with all I am trying to do it is going to be quite a challenge to master all of these skills while engaged in all of the other things I intend to do. In total, to sum it all up, it is a considerable challenge I am faced with in the next four years. But I feel that I am up to the task.

Athletic Prowess- According to my system, physical training is an essential aspect towards achieving perfection. Therefore, the necessity of exercise is already built into the general training and development plan. I have specified this particular skill in order to focus my efforts along a more particular direction. In addition, I want to define an even more rigorous approach to enhancing my athleticism than the standard "eat well, look after your health, engage in regular exercise, build your body up, etc." level that my program demands. After all, for those who are much more inclined towards the activities of the intellect, they will generally prefer to maintain the minimum requirements for physical development. And I am not one of those. So I want to define this skill as the practice and proficiency of improving one's athletic capabilities to the peak of their natural talent. Enhance strength, speed, agility, stamina, etc. You could get into gymnastics, or distance swimming, or speed bag hitting, and/or whatever area interests you. You want to especially look into those activities which increase your athletic performance as a whole. Look for transferability, general usability. Push your physical capacities upward to ever superior performance. Train harder. Get the most out of your body in each of the major areas (though you may consider preferences, such as possessing more strength as opposed to stamina and therefore gaining more mass, improving your weightlifting performance at the expense of your 10K time for example).

Biology- Study textbooks. Read biology related books. Watch some documentaries. Do some dissections of plants and animals. You must be able to fully answer bachelor degree level questions and inquiries about this general subject. Maybe perform a couple of surgical operations on some wild mice or analyze various cells with a microscope. Breed insects perhaps, and observe and experiment upon them.

Business- Observe business activity. Read business/economics books. Immerse yourself in business and finance related activity. Check out local resources (chamber of commerce, public resources, city programs, free classes). You must engage in the everyday world of business and get to know how things actually operate. Gain first-hand experience to learn what works and how to start and run successful businesses. Get involved with a wealth accumulating enterprise however you can, whether getting a position at a legitimate start-up, or starting and managing your own venture. Always look for ways to save money.

Chemistry- Run chemistry experiments. Study and read. Memorize relevant facts and data (such as the periodic table, formulas, interactions, etc.). Explore chemical interactions and processes.

Industriousness- Maintain a full schedule. Seek ways and methods to save time. Force the habit of being always engaged in some useful activity. Be efficient, train to be highly active in getting things done, from completing everyday tasks to accomplishing goal related objectives. Be organized and make consistent progress. Improve your time usage.

Korean- Learn Korean. This can be done through book study and regular exposure to the spoken language.

Mathematics- Textbooks, mastery of exercises, mastery of concepts, memorization of key formulas.

Metropolitan Exploration- Take long walks throughout the city, or bicycle travels. Drive around occasionally. Gain a solid feel for the city area. Become familiar with the layout of the city, discover areas, see places, learn the ways to get from one location to another. Get to know the city and surroundings.

MMA Fighting- Mastery of fighting techniques in the realm of mixed martial arts. Train and condition to become as effective a fighter as possible. Prepare for fights.

Olympic Taekwondo- Practice techniques. Watch the best competition and learn how to win.

Spanish- Study from books. Listen to and watch Spanish language media. Engage in interaction and communication with good speakers.

Strategic Mindset- Accumulate insights of a strategic nature. Seek to find and use strategic approaches that can be applied generally. One method of doing this is by playing "games" of various kinds, and thus gather up strategies and insights that can be applied in other areas usefully. For example, one learns from world conquest video games that you must manage your resources carefully, act quickly, engage in combat with the enemy only when the prospects for your victory are superior to his, etc. Integrate these accumulated strategic nuggets into your daily life wherever they are applicable.

Technological Ability- Tinkering, repairing, engineering, and designing technological gadgets and machines. Manuals of engineering must be studied, of various kinds. Books and manuals of various machine types need to be mastered. More importantly, develop extensive hands-on experience with machines. Practice by taking things apart and putting them back together, or examining parts. Seek to understand exactly how it all works. Familiarity with tools, methods, and a firm grasp of technical concepts must be attained.

This is certainly alot to do in four years. Industriousness will help me to manage and make the most out of my time when I become skilled in it. Strategy will be of immense benefit when I get proficient in that skill as well. All of these skills will be of good use (otherwise I would not list them obviously). I intend to accomplish numerous goals with the mastery of these skills. The level of mastery will vary from each skill I am sure, as I must concentrate more time on some skills over others. In four years time, I should be much more competent in all of these areas however, and a substantially more skilled individual overall.