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PHILOSOPHY BY KIM

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Don’t Sit

In the past, sitting was seen as a privilege; as kings could sit and have their servants and slaves do as they pleased.

Nowadays, to sit, to sit down, shut up, listen to the teacher or boss, or to be sedentary or sitting in a car, these are all forms of punishment.

Wrist Strong Hercules

A few days ago, I just did a five plate for bench press, straight bar, and the missing link, the weak link was my right wrist.

Today, after doing a little bit of rehab, mobility, the other day doing some yoga, and now I’m thinking about it more critically experimenting, using a rogue neutral grip bar, and exercising before benchpress form, my epiphany:

Wrists aren’t durable.

Go Long

The Philosophy of Durable, Durability

Durable. Durability. Even Nietzsche once said, “Durability is the first rate good amongst human beings!”

The importance of durable, durability?

An interesting epiphany that I had is that it seems that with modern day consumerism, durability is actually not what we seek. For example, nobody truly seeks a 100% durable iPhone that will last forever. Why? We need some sort of excuse to upgrade. I think the same thing is with cars; cars are fashion. The second our car has any issues, or needs an “upgrade“, we are very very happy to jump ship, and then to seek some sort of new solution.

Why does this matter?

Durabilis: Durable, lasting.

I think this matters for many different reasons. First and foremost, with everything in life, we need to posit some sort of desired ends and outcomes. Therefore, if we know what we seek, and what we desire, then we can better straight shot attain, obtain, and pursue that which we desire.

Becoming harder

Duro— harden, make hard.

Studying some etymology for the word durable, it seems that comes from the Latin, duro, which means harden, make hard.

Durus: looking further into the Proto Indo European, it seems that it means far, long. Deros— Sanskrit dura which means “far”. Long, extended.

I suppose there are several interesting interventions with this line of thought. First and foremost, then it seems that the desired end outcome is for us to go long. An extended range, and also, to last into the future. Long, extended can be seen as distance, or time and years.

Extended range as good!

Modular solutions

Durability doesn’t just mean to be hard, to be robust. The philosophy of durability is to last for a long time, or for us to use the framework an ecosystem for a long time.

For example, cameras. I am a huge fan of the Ricoh GR series cameras, as it is so small compact and powerful. Yet the durability is poor insofar much as the duration you could use it only seems to be about a year. After hard-core use, all of my Ricohs have broken.

Surprisingly, the Lumix G9 that I bought in 2019 while in Japan, has lasted. Something about how it was engineered, and also the fact that it is an interchangeable lens system means that if the lens breaks (mine did), I can simply swap out the lens, and I could still keep using the system.

Whereas with non-interchangeable, non-modular systems, if one component breaks, it is all broken.

The same thing goes with computers. Laptops are bad in so far much as at least with MacBook laptop, you can honestly swap out the parts. This means, if one component breaks, you’re screwed.

Durable investments?

Durable body?

Durable Body

But for the sake of what?

Mimetic Desires

I first heard about this notion of mimesis., mimetic theory from Peter Thiel from his zero to one book, quoting his mentor Renee Girard. Essentially the gist and the notion is that most of our “desires“ are sociological ones; not inherent in us, but rather, programmed into us by society.

A new direction and path I am pursuing is trying to seive and filter and separate the two;

What are the false mimetic desires which were indoctrinated into me by others and society, and what are my inherently authentic ones?

For example, a mimetic desire: getting a really really big benchpress, three plates, four plates, five plates, six plates, seven plates, eight plates etc. Or getting really really big deltoids and a really really big chest.

My theory on why it was seem as desirable to get a very big chest might be a media thing; movies, when you watch Arnold Schwarzenegger, typically the camera points directly towards actor, and if the actor is topless, the things he will primarily see is his face and his chest.

Biceps?

another mimetic desire is big biceps. Where does this come from?

How much can you hold, how much can you seize?

What are some other holding motions we could do?

Farmer’s carry, to simply lift and hold extremely heavy dumbbells in your hands, without the aid of straps is a good idea.

Intervention:

Focus on holding motions, not pushing or pressing motions?

Holding exercises?

Maybe some new weight lifting exercises we can innovate have to do with seizing, or holding? Holding exercises?

For example, doing some sort of weighted chin up static hold motion? Like putting on a dip belt, loading it up with five or six plates, going to the chin up bar, neutral hand position, and just seeing if you could hold it for half a second?