Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Rest Day

I read a lot; and because my area of study is history, much of this reading focuses on authors and issues long since past their time. However, I often come across literature that appears timeless in its style, relevance, and multi-dimensional applicability to the present. Even when the subject of their texts has a focus far from physical conditioning, many of these authors strike personal chords and raise interesting questions that I inevitably relate to training.

So, since rest days are for recovery and regeneration, I've decided to begin using them as a forum to raise such issues and cite the outwardly "unrelated" historical passage that brought them to my attention. Hopefully people will contribute their insights on the topic, if they have them, and how it relates to their training.

Issue: Setting goals vs Achieving them

Historical Quote to Ponder:

“What is the price-current of an honest man and a patriot to-day? They hesitate, and they regret, and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have it to regret. At most, they give only a cheap vote, and a feeble countenance and God-speed, to the right, as it goes by them. There are nine hundred and ninety-nine patrons of virtue to one virtuous man. But it is easier to deal with the real possessor of a thing than with the temporary guardian of it.”

—Henry David Thoreau, 1849

    Thoreau, Henry David - 486px-Henry_David_Thoreau.jpg - Henry David Thoreau

4 comments:

  1. It can be a burdern, but one can best lead by example. I have to believe in "the power of one." Because in the end, you have to live with you self and your own actions. And that goes right along with with setting and achieving ones goals too, right?

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  2. Just started my shift so I don't have time to offer anything relevant. I will say this: Thoreau had a RIGHTEOUS neck beard!

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  3. Unfortunatly there are far ore people on the sideline then in the action.

    I think it is because they do not feel personaly involved.

    Johan Nederhof / Rotterdam

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  4. it does seem that the 1800s were the golden years of facial hair. mustaches out past the width of your face. neck beards. for a century guys just said, "fuck it."

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