======== Newsgroups: alt.surfing Subject: The Warrior Within From: Foondoggy Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 11:45:39 +0100 "Men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing, sooner than war." -Homer "War has been the most successful of all our cultural traditions." -Robert Ardrey Last week, having received a minor rebuff regarding suggesting we all be careful when place ourselves in harms way, I spent the weekend reseaching (surfing),reading and watching a few programs, most of which had to to with the aggressive nature of sport. We've all heard the cliche that competition is a metaphor for war. With the advent of "sports" like "Ultimate Fighting" (two men walk in the ring, only one walks out), I'm inclined to think that the line between the fact and the metaphor is blurring. Scientists have suggested that the sensation we know as an adrenalin rush, is really an evolutionary phenomena which our early ancestors developed as a result of being in extreme danger. We all know what happens when those hormones kick in and the early purpose of this physical manifestation was to aid survival. There's a lot of literature on this topic, but generally speaking, modern man still experiences the need for these sensations and often they are self-inflicted. Throughout man's early history, let's face it, there was lots of fighting and killing. It could be said the superiority of the human race as a species is directly proportional to it's ability to kill everything that threaten it. (Survival of the fittest) Boy those must have been fun times. But we are much more civilized now (?).What do we do to satisfy this biological urge to dominate. Some people say fighting competition was originally created to help train warriors (Javelin throw) and eventually, evolved in to sport. Leaping ahead for the sake of brevity, the question is, are our sporting competitions devolving into mere excuses for organized war? (Football, soccer, Lacrosse, Hockey, rugby, demolition derby) Hang in there, there is a point here. A program I saw this weekend tried to explore the nature, reason and attractiveness of "extreme" sporting activity. It was not presented in a respectable and intellectual manner, but by a brainclouded, pierced and tattooed afficienado of several extreme sports. I was stunned and angered at the blatent appeal to violence and danger. During a video montage of some very dangerous sports, we got to see Laird being towed into a wave at Jaws off Maui. Impressive for sure, but the whole thrust of the show was to enhance and accentuate the "balls out" nature and machoness of those who threw caution to the wind, without even a mention of how deadly they could be to the inexperienced or unskilled. I was disturbed by the cavelier way in which "putting your life on the line" was suggested for the sake of having bragging rights about participating in some dangerous activity. Are we all so needy of that adrenalin rush that fighting and killing once satisfied, that we now foolishly attempt things that would needlessly put our lives in danger? I had to answer this question for myself. With qualifications, Yes. All my life I've been a self described, "careful" person. As a result I can count on one hand the number of times I've ever really felt in danger. Sure, I've taken my chances in surf bigger than I was comfortable with, and exulted in being able to survive it, or learned a valuable lesson if I got pounded. But most times those were calculated risks taken in which my knowledge and experience helped to give me an advantage. I refuse to do something totally stupid or wreckless. I know several who have, and they have paid a significant price for it. Hospital statistics prove more people are now injured participating in sporting activity than at any other time. I'm not talking about a cut or scrape; serious lacerations, contusions, breaks and head trauma. You gotta wonder about scenes of extreme inline skaters or skateboarders leaping over cars with no safety gear. What are they trying to prove? I spent a few hours on the beach, ignoring a major rainstorm, in deep introspection. I made up a little slogan last year - Surf Free or Die, which is derivative of the New Hampshire State motto -Live Free or Die. I started to consider what that really means to me. It works on a few levels the least of which is the literal - I would never willingly give up my life to surf. But what is the meaning that really connects? On the surface I like to think, like the patriots of New Hampshire, it seeks to declare I am not satisfied to surf under restrictions or rules. We all do it and most of us are not happy about it, but we survive. Beach laws and regulations are a part of our daily surfing experience. They all suck and we all endure it. I'm not really that happy with our own set of rules and ettiquette, yet I know that for the most part I will continue to obey the rules of our sport, otherwise there would be anarchy. Like most surfers, to "Surf Free" means almost to surf alone on unrestricted beaches. This is the purest or "soul" sense of the experience, and these days is a rare occasion. I've never really bought into the surf contest arguement either. The sport is too subjective for me to be judged and I've never really understood the rules anyway. Yet there must be many out there who feed their ancient need to compete, struggle, and dominate (kill-metaphorically speaking) or contests would not survive. The thing that struck me the most about this insistent need to thrash, gash, pummel and destroy presented in this program, was the primal glee and satisfaction some people get from the activity. You could say we never really outgrow or heritage, be it early survival, waging war, or violent competition - what's the diff? Maybe as we get older our needs to be this way diminishes, I know mine have but I cannot ultimately judge the young men and women who go forth to compete, dominate and conquer in the sporting arena. Afterall, they are just satisfying their Warrior within. I just hope for their sake they manage to survive this phase of their life and be able to look back and reflect positively upon what they experienced and learned. Otherwise they'll wind up just being some hospital statistic. "Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom." -Hermann Hesse "There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified the concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind." -Joseph Heller -Foondoggy ======== Newsgroups: alt.surfing,alt.surfing.bodyboard Subject: Re: The Warrior Within From: sponge@iav.com (Neal Miyake) Date: 5 May 1997 17:57:32 GMT Foondoggy (wfover@nist.gov) wrote: : I was : disturbed by the cavelier way in which "putting your life on the line" : was suggested for the sake of having bragging rights about participating : in some dangerous activity. Are we all so needy of that adrenalin rush : that fighting and killing once satisfied, that we now foolishly attempt : things that would needlessly put our lives in danger? I too, would answer that with a qualified 'yes'. There have been a few times where I probably should not have gone out (see http://www.iav.com/~sponge/sesh/nm_obs14.htm), and I'd warn everyone out there to know your limits. However, I'm going to be hypocritical and say that I've felt a deep satisfaction from going through those situations. Some surf clothing company aptly (though irresponsibly) put it, "If you survive, it will only make you stronger." : I've never really bought into the surf contest arguement either. The : sport is too subjective for me to be judged and I've never really : understood the rules anyway. Yet there must be many out there who feed : their ancient need to compete, struggle, and dominate : (kill-metaphorically speaking) or contests would not survive. Competition is just a means of being recognized as the best. I've loved contests, and it has broadened my love for the sports of surfing and bodyboarding. It also feels good when they announce your name in first place (though they have done so on very few occasions for me). I like to get my ego stroked once in a while. However, after a few years, the trophies just become a meaningless pile of plastic, with only a few precious memories within. I think age has a lot to do with the desire to succeed and be recognized. Throughout my 20 plus years in the water, my motivation to surf has constantly changed (I've been planning to write about this in future post, but will introduce the idea here). I was a late bloomer, so when I finally could compete athletically, my chosen arena was the ocean. Now that I'm older (and supposedly wiser), I feel that I've gotten it out of my system and don't have to prove anything (in the competitive arena, anyway). I go out and surf just for the sake of surfing. In a sense, I'm still boasting, but in a different forum (alt.surfing). Oh well, I guess some things never change. :) BTW, I once beat the #1 pro bodyboarder in the world. *Her* name was Stephanie Petterson and the only reason I beat her was because she lost her board. She got fourth, I got third, and neither of us advanced out of our first round heat. Aloha, sponge http://www.iav.com/~sponge/ ======== Newsgroups: alt.surfing Subject: Re: The Warrior Within From: the Sandman Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 00:22:38 -0700 Foondoggy wrote: > > Throughout man's early history, let's face it, there was lots of > fighting and killing. It could be said the superiority of the human race > as a species is directly proportional to it's ability to kill everything > that threaten it. (Survival of the fittest) Boy those must have been fun > times. But we are much more civilized now (?).What do we do to satisfy > this biological urge to dominate. Some people say fighting competition > was originally created to help train warriors (Javelin throw) and > eventually, evolved in to sport. Leaping ahead for the sake of brevity, > the question is, are our sporting competitions devolving into mere > excuses for organized war? Yes > to be this way diminishes, I know mine have but I cannot ultimately > judge the young men and women who go forth to compete, dominate and > conquer in the sporting arena. Afterall, they are just satisfying their > Warrior within. I just hope for their sake they manage to survive this > phase of their life and be able to look back and reflect positively upon > what they experienced and learned. Otherwise they'll wind up just being > some hospital statistic. > We all have our limits. Some more than others. Just as the more extreme respect your right to be cautious, you need to respect another's right to be on the edge. Has it ever ocurred to you that some people would rather die than have to live their life in the chains of caution? Therefor their life in this context isn't as valuable to them as your's is to you. Not only that, in a totally different perspective; Death to some is a beginning. To others, it's the end. -- Mind implosion software for surfers http://www.whammer.com/ ======== Newsgroups: alt.surfing Subject: Re: The Warrior Within From: catbasah@aol.com (CatBasah) Date: 9 May 1997 10:44:37 GMT >>>We all have our limits. Some more than others. Just as the more extreme respect your right to be cautious, you need to respect another's right to be on the edge. Has it ever ocurred to you that some people would rather die than have to livetheir life in the chains of caution? Therefor theirlife in this context isn't as valuable to them as your's is toyou. Not only that, in a totally different perspective; Death to some is a beginning. To others, it's the end.<<< Which is truly the prisoner? The fly, which moving freely has entered unknown danger? Or the spider, which having spun its web, remains, never knowing the pleasure... or the danger of the fly? ======== Newsgroups: alt.surfing Subject: Re: The Warrior Within From: ken@iways.com (Kenneth Powell) Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 15:28:05 GMT Foondoggy wrote: >snip< >... Are we all so needy of that adrenalin rush >that fighting and killing once satisfied, that we now foolishly attempt >things that would needlessly put our lives in danger? ... Being one of those type of personalities I've wondered the same as the foonmans post. I surf, skate, ski, box, all stuff where you can go to an edge, make a mistake, get unlucky and get stuffed pretty good. A few years ago I was chasing it all, like always, and I went on a backcountry ski trip. We were telemarking (free heel skiing) the Appalachian trail. About 4 miles up from the car, backpacks and sleeping in a lean to with a foot of fresh snow. Very Ansel Adams. After 3 days of skiing great icy runs I broke my knee (torn tendons, a nasty bit of business) on a nothing turn and went down in a ravine. It was nightfall so we packed the knee in ice and waited till morning. To make a long story short, I had to painfully hobble out down steep and narrow trails of fresh snow. I was bitching about my rotten luck when I realized why I tested my self with this array of moderately death defying hobbies. It preps you for really bad jams like the one I was in. I just put my head down and gritted through it. In "extreme" sports you only have yourself to work against. It hones a kind of intensity and self reliance even if the pursuit is kind of obsessively punishing. Hopefully, when it's time to get intense, your'e there. -- ken@iways.com (Kenneth Powell) ======== Newsgroups: alt.surfing Subject: Re: The Warrior Within From: xstream1@iwl.net (Ricky Cheatwood) Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 01:34:54 GMT ken@iways.com (Kenneth Powell) wrote: >Foondoggy wrote: >>snip< >>... Are we all so needy of that adrenalin rush >>that fighting and killing once satisfied, that we now foolishly attempt >>things that would needlessly put our lives in danger? ... >A few years ago I was chasing it all, like always, and I went on a >backcountry ski trip. We were telemarking (free heel skiing) the >Appalachian trail. About 4 miles up from the car, backpacks and >sleeping in a lean to with a foot of fresh snow. Very Ansel Adams. >After 3 days of skiing great icy runs I broke my knee (torn tendons, a >nasty bit of business) on a nothing turn and went down in a ravine. >It was nightfall so we packed the knee in ice and waited till morning. >To make a long story short, I had to painfully hobble out down steep >and narrow trails of fresh snow. I was bitching about my rotten luck >when I realized why I tested my self with this array of moderately >death defying hobbies. It preps you for really bad jams like the one >I was in. I just put my head down and gritted through it. > -- > ken@iways.com >(Kenneth Powell) This mentality seems to change with age. I had it in my youth,but as I grow long in the tooth, (37 , Yeah, I know...I'm damn near dead : ), I must act more responsibly. For now, I have a family that depends on me to survive. I find that I still take more chances than others my age, but some things that are easy for me are extremely hazardous to them. They would never paddle a piece of fiberglass covered foam out into a storm surge, with or without a leash, and ride waves around the pilings of the Balinese Pier, especially with all of those big tiger sharks and jellyfish! What are they afraid of? Things that we nonchalantly do as surfers seem oddly dangerous to others. Just as some of my friends in high school tried to get me to go with them to ride really pissed off bulls and bucking broncos, I said to them, "Do you guys have a death wish, or what?" I suppose it just depends on your specific abilities, knowing your limits and your threshold of pain. Basically, the big thrill seekers will see their share of extreme thrills and unfortunatley, many will be maimed or die. My father was a proffessional boxer in his twenties, I boxed as an amatuer and my father talked me out of the ring. He did me a big favor. When I see him having trouble walking or keeping his balance he still says," If I had only known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself !" So remember, even if you survive, your scars will remain. Ricky "The Oracle" Cheatwood has spoken. ======== Newsgroups: alt.surfing Subject: Re: The Warrior Within From: Foondoggy Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 15:30:49 +0100 Ricky Cheatwood wrote: > My father was a > proffessional boxer in his twenties, I boxed as an amatuer and my > father talked me out of the ring. He did me a big favor. When I see > him having trouble walking or keeping his balance he still says, " If I had only known I was going to live this long, I would have taken > better care of myself !" Ricky, this quote is generally attributed to Eubie Blake, but fathers are allowed to use it. -Foon >