Every once in a while, something just sticks with you. Someone drops a pearl of wisdom in such a way that it rattles your perspective. I watched this documentary about George Carlin, where he shared this gem:
“It’s the American view that everything has to keep climbing: productivity, profits, even comedy. No time for reflection. No time to contract before another expansion. No time to grow up. No time to fuck up. No time to learn from your mistakes. But that notion goes against nature, which is cyclical.”
Now, with the whole Roe v. Wade thing over in America, doesn’t that seem especially poignant? ‘Cause it seems to me that we’re going backwards, not forwards. Not only do we have someone trying to bring back the Soviet-Union, but we’re also right back into the ’70s when it comes to inflation and energy prices. And it sure seemed to me that the whole abortion debate was settled over two decades ago.
It’s natural to feel pessimism with the way things are going, but as Carlin says, nature is cyclical. It would be foolish to think of progress as a constant march. Nope, sometimes we’ll slide backwards. All we can do is brush off the dirt, pick ourselves up, and drag ourselves to that finish line.
On that note, recently I got back to the gym. With my exams finally in the rearview mirror, I figured it was time to start pumping some iron again. And let me tell you, there’s something therapeutic about focusing on flexing those muscle groups for a good thirty to forty minutes… and nothing else.
Now, this ain’t my first rodeo, restarting fitness after a lengthy hiatus. Each time, it’s the same old story. You pick up some weights and you soon realise that you can’t push the same numbers that you used to do. I know it’ll happen going in, but it bugs me each time, knowing that it’ll take one or two months to get back where I was at before. It makes you wish for a save button, like in video games. But hey, nature is cyclical, just like Carlin said.
That being said, I don’t let it get to me too much. In some ways, I’ve learned to like the grind, whether it’s fitness, or studying. It all pays off in the end. So while nature is cyclical, it also tends to reward those who put in the necessary work, and keep doing so with consistency. See you later, space cowboy.
Yours truly
Vincent J. Dancet