The Journey

"Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains." ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau

I feel like I am a caged beast sometimes, being prodded and made to do tricks.  Society, my captor, barks commands at me and tells me I’m not worth a damn.  Like the lion in the circus that is made to do incredible things, but is still a lion in a cage.  The beast wants freedom.  Freedom to run and to be the predator he was meant to be.  I mimic this desire.  I want this freedom.  To be everything that I was born and meant to be.  For 1 hour 5 days a week I am free. I am the predator and the iron is the prey.  I hunt with vigor and sheer force.  My power is unlimited and my grip is firm.

Then, the moment I step out of the door.  I am back into my cage.  The cage of society telling me what it thinks is right.  The truth taking on many shapes, sizes, and colors.  It’s enough to make a sane person find a deep dark hole.  Life is so simple and so free behind those doors.  Chaos goes away, and the shackles are ripped off of me.  My time to run free without the hypocrisy, the hidden agendas, or the condescension.

It is truly a gift to have those moments that are all yours.  They say ignorance is bliss.  Well, maybe it is because if I had to choose between the simple act of pushing heavy ****, and dealing with the hypocrisy of life, I’d choose the former in a snap.  Cages don’t fit me very well.

What makes a man great?  Is it his ability to persuade people?  In times when people are afraid all he has to do is mutter a few safe words and the people are calmed.  Is it the ability to be strong?  He displays an act of physical disbelief and others follow mesmerized.  Is it the art of creation?  He sits at a piano, his fingers touch the keys and music is made.

I’m not sure what makes a man great.  I search each day for a shred of greatness in this life.  A moment where I am so much more than just a heap of skin and bones.  When I have proved my worth in this life.  What has my creation yielded me?  Have I been on the right path to creating the best version of “me” possible?  How far have I come?  So many questions come into my mind as I look into the past, present, and future.  The “way” is scary and the path is long, but no matter what I walk it.  Sometimes I hold my head in my hands and say “why?”  Yet other times I hold my head high on my shoulders and say “why the **** not?”

I would be a great man if I could stand on pillars and reach far out into the world and make the slightest difference.  The man who finds his way amidst all the fog of life is great.  The man who grasps destiny by the throat and squeezes the life out of it is great.  Constantly create a better version of yourself and you will NEVER fail.  I promise you this.  What you risk today to become the best person that you can be will affect everything around you tomorrow.  You must hold your head in what seems to be the most irrational of times.  Those that will put you down, will only bring you up.  Through their jealousy and meager cries of inadequacy you will learn to be better.
We are ultimately who we choose to be.  I choose to be the one busting my ****ing ass.  Every damn day.  Let the pain be welcomed and let the skin tear from my hands because this man will be great.

I’ve been going hard for over a year now.  Not ever missing a workout.  Rarely ever missing a meal.  The week of thanksgiving I will be taking a much needed CNS recovery week.  I’ll be vacationing in Florida at the time.  I am not taking a break from the diet at all, but I doubt I’ll be able to lift while I am down there.  I thought about trying to find a gym, but I think it will be nice just to relax my muscles for awhile.  11/22-11/29 will be my recovery week.