Making the Best of What You Already Have
Most people can be doing far more with what they already have -- rather than incessantly needing more -- without end. At some point, one should come to realize that one has all they actually need and use, and make very little of it, but to fuel their insatiable need for "more." Such people actually do very little with what they already have, and feel the problem is always that they need more. So it is an endless, vicious, corrupting cycle -- of never being satisfied with whatever one has -- but always demanding insatiably more.
The worst, is that they never get rid of anything -- but hoard everything they have, even if they've never used it once. The acquisition and retention becomes ends in itself -- rather than just serving one's actual and real needs. In fact, their cup runneth over, spoiling everything they have to uselessness, which they never realize, because they never actually use anything they have. They simply like the idea of possessing things -- whether people, places, or things. Even their memories are regarded that way.
It's not so much that they actually have anything useful to remember, but they just like having those memories -- whether they serve any real purpose or not. More often than not, they are false memories -- of what they would like to remember, than anything that actually happened to them. Information can always be retrieved -- if it is actually needed for a task. But just to hold on to everything, refusing to let go of anything, never allows the space to learn and do anything new or different -- because they are always replaying their memories rather than devoting themselves fully to each present moment.
And that of course, is where a person needs to be -- fully and totally, to live their most productive lives. All those reliving of their memories, is a de facto admission that they no longer are living in each present moment -- and may never have. In every moment of their lives, they were reliving a previous moment -- and so quite naturally, life passed them by -- as being too preoccupied to do anything real and meaningful, let alone, significant.
The present moment implies the past, and the future -- which are not valid concepts in themselves, but are always dependent on what one actually does -- and not what they think and say of the past or future. That is meaningless -- their entertainment, because they cannot think of anything more important and productive to do. They become "experts" on the irrelevant and inconsequential. They debate endlessly among each other and with themselves, so that nothing useful can ever be done -- and priding themselves that others are doing worse.
And that is their only concern -- that others are doing worse than they are -- who are doing nothing. They might even write about it extensively to anybody who will listen to them -- and claim all kinds of awards, as though that was another achievement in itself. But it is a totally fabricated existence that takes on a greater reality the more times they tell it. It is their own self-fulfilling prophecy of faking it until they make it -- which they never do. They are living entirely in their own echo chambers. The fantasy is preferable to any reality -- and even coming to know themselves as they actually are -- and that is the whole point of life, and any existence.
That is the whole meaning of life -- to find out what it is, and what one is capable of. Of course many demagogues will tell them what that is -- and their place in the scheme of things. From that point on, all one needs to do is repeat whatever they say -- as the only truth they need to know. Many prefer such a life -- of never thinking for themselves, and allowing others to do all their thinking for them. They like that safety in numbers -- reassured that that is what everybody else is doing. But assuredly, it is not -- and at all times and places, there are always a few, determined to find out on their own -- what is actually happening.
Culture and environment produce such individuals -- and are the measures of such success. Societies that don't produce such successful adaptions, must go extinct -- not just because they are killed off by others, but the culture is not viable, cannot stand the test of time and challenge. The rest of the world cannot wait for them -- it must move on. That is the story of evolution and civilization. There will inevitably be winners and losers -- because not all actions are the same -- producing the same result. The world just doesn't work that way -- no matter how much they try to engineer it.
Some ways work, and some won't -- and not that everyone can just do their own thing -- with equal results, no matter how much education they have. That should be very reassuring to know -- for those who can know the difference, and make a difference. The vast majority, just would rather not know -- but let others tell them what to think -- as though they thought of it themselves. They have no way of knowing the difference -- so what the heck. As long as they are on the side that's winning -- but they only know what others tell them -- as the truth.
So it is good to take stock and inventory, of what one actually has -- rather than the promises of what others will deliver -- if given enough time and money.
Getting Down to the Nitty-Gritty: Putting It All Together
The original intention of my life's work, was to conceive of a manner in which people could stay in tip-top condition all their lives -- in the most meaningful and useful way. That's obviously the only thing that makes sense -- rather than climbing Mt. Everest -- with a high probability of death, not only for oneself, but all supporting members of that party, or crawling over the finish line after everyone else has gone home.
Meanwhile, they no longer do anything meaningful -- saving themselves for such attempts. They may even wait for the Handicap Van to take them to the gym where they still get on the machines for a much compromised version of the original designed movement -- without questioning that usefulness in doing so. They are at this point, just going through the motions thinking that is enough -- rather than the suspicion and possibility, that they don't have to remain in that compromised condition -- if what they are doing, really worked -- and not simply repeating the affirmations that they do, while obviously declining in abilities.
It never occurs to such people, that what they are doing -- is making them that way -- and not that thinking otherwise, is enough to make it so. But at that point, most are happy to see them doing anything -- with the thought of mastering any skill or ability, long a foregone and preposterous conclusion. And so, those movements and activities lack that organizing principle and intent -- that measures any progress useful. They are simply in an endless loop -- they hope to sustain -- rather than moving on to higher and better purpose.
And that is the measure of any activity, movement, and life -- whether young or old, in whatever condition. Is there some tangible evidence of progress -- in a very obvious and measurable way -- and particularly without incurring further damage and injury? One need not destroy one's knees, feet, back, and hips -- to prove one still can -- until the day they mercifully die. That should obviously seem counterproductive -- but is that the only option from all the human capabilities?
But one does not necessarily throw out everything in quest of the new -- but goes back first -- to the known, to try to figure out if there was any wisdom in those time-proven ways. In weight training, they have standardized their measures around the lifts of bench press, squats and the deadlift -- without thinking that it is possible to combine all three in one very useful and definitive movement of viability -- in rising from a deep flat footed squat to a fully upright position, and back again -- easily, effortlessly, and painlessly throughout a productive normal day and throughout their lives -- that is obvious testament to such abilities.
Nowhere is this more obvious, than in seeing older competitive bodybuilders -- tottering out on atrophied legs, because they can no longer bend at the knees -- and fear to do so. At that point, they are merely parodies of what they used to be -- rather than the best they can be, at that moment and time. But they're not going to achieve that by continuing to do what wrecked their knees, hip and back -- by doing those movements with increasingly heavy weights until they ultimately and invariably fail. At that point, it should become obvious that the chances for injury continuing to do so, approaches absolute certainty -- which one is better off to avoid.
However, discontinuing all movements is not the only option -- as many have been conditioned to believe -- as the only choice they have. That is simply poor education and conditioning -- instead of the much more valuable and productive approach of considering, and even inventing all the ways possible. In most cases, fight or flight are not the only actions possible -- as many controlling and manipulative leaders would like one to think. Nobody is allowed to go outside the box -- they have arbitrarily proscribed.
But increasingly, in this day and age, we realize that it is not the only game (and fate) in town -- and that the world and universe, is vastly more than what some say it is -- for their exclusive advantage and benefit (status). If one hangs around the senior and disabled populations, the dividing line becomes very apparent -- as to this simple ability to get up and down -- rather than running, jumping, lifting barbells, and even walking. If one can get up and down, it is far more indicative of ability that shuffling along for any number of miles -- fearing to fall -- because they know they cannot get up!
That now becomes their terror -- rather than the confidence of their best days -- of knowing even if they fall, they can always get back up -- literally and figuratively. That ability is resilience -- the confidence in knowing that one is still viable even if their desired outcome is not achieved, and they can even go beyond further -- in spite of it. That outlook and attitude gives one immense confidence -- to live that much greater life than they ever thought possible before. Thus, the future always lies ahead -- waiting to be discovered, and actualized -- and not that their best days now, are a distant and receding memory from here on out.
Such an attitude becomes increasingly important when one senses diminishing physical capacities -- because there is a greater need for economies and efficiencies -- which is the great equalizer. That's how some people do more with less -- while others seem to fritter away all their advantages, no matter how much they have. That is the key insight to achieving success in everything one does -- at any level -- even getting up and down off of one's bed and chair. It is not that sitting (or lying) is bad -- but that one hardly moves out of that position -- into another, and finally at end-stage, does not move at all off of sore points that can now fester to the inevitable end.
So while the bench press, squat and deadlift have been chosen as the competitive events for lifting the most weight, those movements can be combined to lift the body itself, from its lowest to highest position -- much more meaningfully and productively in everyday life and activities -- by not using weights! Beginning in the full squat position, one simply places the hands on the knees, leans forward and straightens the arms as though doing a pushup (bench press) into the unversally recognized hands on knees resting position while bentover -- and proceed from there to shrug one's shoulders until one is fully erect. That is the bench press, squat and deadlift -- all in one integrated, useful motion (movement).
One can further add to that movement by placing one's hands together, interlocking the fingers but leaving the index fingers straight and pointing up towards the ceiling, and straightening the arms as much as possible. In doing so, one will notice the fullest contraction of the back and shoulder muscles, along with the arms. That is called The Mountain position in yoga, the overhead lift in weightlifting -- but many in doing so, never proceed to extend their arms to their highest position -- and fullest range of motion for all the muscles and structures involved. And that is the major difference between those with impressive ranges of movement, and those without.
Reversing those mechanics, allows one to get into the beginning position in the full squat -- which is the universal sitting position of indigenous populations noted for their agility and longevity. In this way, one uses all the muscles of the body to do the one most productive and useful thing to do -- for the rest of their lives, which is to get up and down from this position. Even former champion athletes have difficulty in these movements -- because they associate danger and injury with such movements -- instead of making and practicing the safest way to accomplish such movements -- and strengthening that ability.
