Just a quick video of a run put together during my parkour training session at High Falls today. Nothing special, but it was our first day of real Spring weather so I wanted to put something out there!
Movement 3/11 from Charles Moreland on Vimeo.
Author Archive for Charles
Yes, that’s right. Career’s are nonsensical in that they are 20th century inventions based on an outdated system of control. In fact, I think the entire concept of a career, or at least the mental connotations connected with the word, set everyone up for stress, hardship, or even failure. The idea is based on a linear system not unlike the linear system we have regarding material production: Resources are harvested, refined, molded, shipped, bought, used, and then thrown away. It’s a very unnatural system because as anyone can see, the world never works this way, but rather in elegant cycles that continuously flow. In this same way, a career is a modern invention that turns a human being into a product that can be used and thrown away.
On paper this sounds horrible. No one enjoys being used, however, the system is perpetuated on a made up societal idea of what “success” or what “happiness” is. Many people believe it’s money; others believe it’s material possessions (which is essentially another form of money); some conceptualize it as power. But the fact of the matter is, in the words of Alan Watts, “Life is a musical thing, and we are supposed to sing and dance while the music is being played.”
Too many people get wrapped up in this false idea of success and the problem is compounded by the societal belief that a career is the only vessel to get you there. Because of this, I don’t believe in retirement either. Retirement seems to me to be a concept very similar to heaven. If heaven is what keeps your heart beating every morning, then good for you. Everyone needs something. But when that concept takes over your feelings and emotions in the now, it becomes a virus or an infection. It festers and ruins your entire perception of the beauty that surrounds you at each passing second.
The system is set up under the premise of logic, but fails to prove true. The idea that there is some end to structured learning is evidence enough for me that the system is broken. I see this more and more especially being in the environment that I am in, that being a technical/job-oriented institute. I see software engineers, computer scientists, pre-med students, all going down the same exact path: debt. The reality of debt is a powerful tool. You owe something to someone else, and you must work hard to make ends meet. Today, millions of students in the United States are entering college by way of massive student loans which will help them land that job which will pay off the loans (and hopefully then some). You get far enough in quicksand, and there’s no hope of getting out unless you fully commit, sink, and find the bottom. Still then, few manage to survive. The kind of debt that haunts a vast majority of college graduates is astronomical in size and forces hand of the student to find a job and work it off. You -must- work. How wonderful a concept?
In this same way, back in the boom of capitalism, job seekers would often put out wanted ads proclaiming: Wanted! Married men. Usually they would exclaim that a married man is more capable of handling responsibility than one who is not. But with marriage comes figurative ties of debt. A married man has people counting on him. During that era, he would have a housewife, potentially with children who relied on him having a well paying job that would keep their lives easy. A man in this predicament isn’t very likely to quit a job, not show up on time, do a lousy job, etc because people are counting on him.
And yet this world is not set in stone and, in fact, is constantly changing. It’s how the world functions. Humans don’t like this, or rather we’ve evolved in some way not to like this, and modern society is a blatant disregard of nature’s law which states that everything changes. We may not like it, but people change. Tendencies change, ideas change, perceptions and hobbies change. So if you grow to change, and no longer appreciate the kind of work you do, what can you do?
At this point in the game, nothing.
There are no tools given to you by the system to help you. Go back to school? Who will give you a loan? You have a spouse and kids you need to support. A mortgage to pay off. You can’t afford to pause time. Again I say, debt is an extremely powerful tool. Do you think you will be happy when this happens?
For many, the problems that arise from a shitty job are buffered by the idea of retirement. Retirement calendars, which track the -years- you have left until you can quit and finally enjoy life, prove that this is a real problem. A person in retirement is essentially an ultimate consumer. It is socially accepted that “you did your time and now you are free to do whatever your heart desires!” Go travel! See the world! Do nothing for the rest of your life. But is that really what people want? I don’t agree. I see too many people who are so ready and willing to give up 20+ years of their to something they don’t particularly enjoy, simply so they can enjoy life more later on. There is a wonderful group of people who study for years to become doctors because they absolutely adore the job. They deal with the stressful environment not because of the paycheck, but because the smile that comes from their patients when they are told that they are going to recover rips at their heart strings. Still, too many see the paycheck and the easy way of life by way of an early retirement.
You can’t spend a quarter of your life doing something you dislike day-in and day-out and expect there to be no repercussions later in life. A quarter of your life is gone. Missing. Time will not rewind to recover those precious moments. The failures and the hardships; the experiences you should have had; the wonderful emotions happy or sad; You are a fool for having tried to sleep for 20 years straight in the hopes of never having to sleep again. And yet, you are not a fool. You did nothing wrong. You were told by society that this was the way. You were tricked. Everyone was tricked; Suckered into this marvelous scheme that no one can take credit for because even the “mastermind” has become drunk on the punch. It is now a self-sustaining cancer in our minds. How tragic…
Music is the ultimate analogy for life. It has a specific start and end and it even has rhythm – a designated pattern that all beats must follow. But the start and the end are no more important than the middle. The middle is no more important that the beginning and the end. All the notes are constantly changing, tumbling and twisting up and down along this scale. They change, but every solitary note is in harmony with the notes around it. How many musicians do you see recognized for composing a symphony with a disorganized, chaotic middle, but the most beautiful end this world has ever heard? Is that piece successful?
Take it upon yourself to re-evaluate your life and address why you are doing what you are doing. Why do you move in this way? Learn this particular subject? Believe in this particular thing? Live the way you do? If the answer involves no value, responsibility or immediate satisfaction then perhaps you are part of this epidemic of unhappiness (or will be soon). Do not fall for the trap that happiness can somehow arise from perpetual unhappiness.
I haven’t blogged in some time. I sincerely apologize for this, however, I have only four months left before I get my degree and move on to bigger and better things. I have some articles that I’d like to publish, but I’d like to return with a quick update on myself.
These last three or so months I’ve been somewhat on my own. Zac Cohn left the apartment to work for APK headquarters for the Winter, I found myself single again, and the weather here is definitely hard to deal with (in-conjunction with school). This past quarter was one of the most challenging for me academically. I was enrolled in Anatomy & Physiology II, Grantwriting and Marketing for Non-profits, Public Speaking, and Grassroots Movements & the Global Economy. In addition to this, my duties in the APK Alliance have kicked up a notch, as has my involvement in the boys gymnastics program at Zenith Gymnastics. All in all, it has been quite a busy Winter. No hibernation for me.
A & P was potentially one of the most challenging academic adventures I’ve undertaken in a while. Each week I was forced to memorize some 300 parts of the body, systems, glands, cells, and hormones. This class alone contributed to the majority of my stress this quarter.
Grantwriting, unexpectedly, was my favorite class this quarter and the lessons and skills learned are truly invaluable. The class was wonderful mainly because of the professor who taught in a very realistic and professional way. Every project was not only practical but was also useful to some local NPO who used our suggestions and analyses to better their business and marketability.
As most of you know, earlier this quarter, I entered the public speaking competition (as was required by my class) and won first place and $400. I taped the speech and it can be found here. I have since decided that since my knowledge in exercise science helped me win, the money will be used toward my CSCS certification this May or June.
My liberal arts class, grassroots and the global economy, regrettably was my least favorite class (potentially my most disliked class ever). Sadly, I learned very little in this class and discussion about “hot” political topics was relatively discouraged. Shame…
As most of you do not currently know, Zac and I are being featured in Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine which is published now. The article can be found online here. This fact by itself is not very notable, however, because I supplied the photography for the article, I am also being paid! This marks the first time I have been paid as a photographer and is just another item on the checklist of life goals that I can now cross off.
So far this Winter has been quite the trip. I’ve learned much. I’ve grown a lot as a person and a thinker and I’m very much looking forward to my last few months as a student. Good things to come! I’m excited.
This quarter, I decided to sign up for a public speaking course which also requires you enter in the quarterly Public Speaking competition. This quarter’s topic was health, a subject I feel I have a good grasp of, especially in the department of losing weight. My speech was an attack on the widespread belief that using elliptical and treadmills for hours on end will help you lose weight. Hopefully you readers of my blog know better, but for the sake of presentation, here is my speech. This presentation won me first place:
2009 was filled with some big changes for me diet and lifestyle-wise. I learned of the benefits of locally grown produce, of interesting new foods, and also how to use foods to replace most of the products I use on a daily basis. I was recently reading this article from one of my favorite bloggers Richard of Free the Animal who wrote about his experiences with no shampoo’s, conditioners, soaps, or other chemically produced products that have leaked into our normal daily routine.
For me, this first started in August when I abandoned shampoo’s for a baking soda alternative, allowing the natural oils in my hair to stabilize and promote a healthier scalp. After keeping this up for over five months, I’ve decided to toss the baking soda altogether and see what happens. One thing I’ve been looking for, however, is a better way to keep care of my dry skin problem.
Dry skin is something I’ve dealt with my entire life; my skin just simply does not retain any moisture. I’ve always spent a lot of money on lotions, oils, special soaps, etc. Well I’m done with that too now and I think I have found a suitable alternative.
I found this bottle of coconut oil at my local natural foods mart for about $11. I’ve only just purchased it and used it yesterday and today, but so far I think I’m going to be sticking with this from now on. It smells really nice, spreads easy, feels lightweight and makes my skin feel very soft. In addition to that, I can cook with it! How splendid! Expect a follow up post on this in the future after some long term use/experimenting, but for right now, this is pretty wonderful.
Test post from my new posterous account. Hopefully this will double the amount of content coming into my site and make my new droid all the more functional.
This post is a continuation from Part I.
Fear is a huge player in the discipline of parkour; There are dangers and risks, and everyone has the natural tendency to avoid physical harm. In the last section, I announced that I have always felt afraid doing the things I do and I outlined several strategies I use to mitigate the effect of that fear. Part II is not an outline of a problem, nor is it a guide as to how never to feel afraid. Instead, I want to pose a few questions and point out a couple factors that occur in American society that I feel have a great deal of influence in the psyche of our generation.
The biggest question I’m going to ask is, Why? I can no longer sit back and be content with the way society decides to manage itself or behave. Specifically for this topic, why is physical harm so intensely demonized at a young age?
The root of the problem is difficult to understand for some, mainly because there is no right or wrong answer; just choices and the effect of those choices. To develop this further, I give myself as an example:
I am by no means a scarless child. I’ve had my bumps and bruises, tears, rips, cuts, and scrapes. I’ve never broken a bone to this day. The most definitive thing I remember about my escapades as a child was, “don’t do that because ________.” With every caution, came a consequence. Time after time, year after year, I have become conditioned to address what consequences derive from my actions. I am not a psychologist, and I do not demonize my parents for raising me this way. I am who I am. But one thing I cannot get my head across is what life would be like if I never stressed about that next moment. What if, instead of constantly analyzing the future, I simply adapted and responded to events that occur in the present? What kind of psychological changes occur in a child who is raised with an approach of, “Try it. Explore! See what happens for yourself.”
Humans are wonderful creatures and we most certainly have advanced brains that allow us to do some very amazing things. However, to my knowledge, humans still do not possess the capability to peer into the future and know what outcomes will arise. The illusion is definitely there. I can take in all the senses around me and say with a feeling of certainty that in an hour I will no longer be in this coffee shop, because I have another appointment. But just because this is the most probable solution, does not discount other probable outcomes. What if my client cancels? What if the person next to me drops dead?
Throughout all my childhood, whenever a potentially physically threatening situation presented itself, I was told by an authority NOT to do something because this specific thing will happen to me. But who is to judge what will happen in the future? “Don’t touch that hot stove! It will burn your hand!” Anyone can agree with this statement. The stove is obviously hot and touching it will obviously burn the child’s hand. What I want to ask is: what happens if you instead say, “Try it. See what happens.” You’ve done something very remarkable there. You’ve changed that child’s pattern of thinking and exploring. They will surely burn their hand, but in the grand scheme of things, a burn is a burn. There is no authority dictating probable outcomes to that child, rather, they learn for themselves the power of certain physical and natural laws; the only true authority.
It is necessary to prove to a child that they are the masters of their own decisions for them to act that way later in life. Heinlein once wrote (through the words of Lazarus Long), “I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” Morally and physically, I am responsible for my own actions. But with my background and the mental conditioning I have, how can I possibly be expected to attack the future with a free mind? Am I truly a free thinker/mover? Or am I only as free as my calculations allow me to be?
If my shoes have a high coefficient of friction with the rail, the distance is within my abilities, and the rail is sturdy and strong, I can safely assume that I will make the precision successfully. But what is the difference between an assumption and a prediction? In my opinion, too many people believe that the world is predictable until it proves unpredictable. But after the world proves itself unpredictable, no one comes to the conclusion that perhaps, maybe, the world is simply inherently unpredictable. Everyone continues to believe that they can predict outcomes based on limited data.
I have come to the realization that I have spent way too much of my life worrying about situations and outcomes that I can’t possibly know the answers to, especially when it comes to parkour. My past mentality has surely helped me progress as effectively and safely as possible. It has also helped me take on and accomplish new tasks slowly, something I strive to promote in all beginners. But the time needs to come where I mature and finally accept that I have certain abilities, gifts, talents, and limitations and that these do not mean I need to worry constantly about what will happen in the future. I have all the tools I need to properly adapt to whatever physical situation presents itself, whether predicted or not. That is true self-confidence. The ability to say nothing is set in stone and I know that I cannot predict what is going to happen next, but instead of waiting, pondering, and worrying about how I will respond to a potentially bad situation, I will simply continue doing what I do best: adapt.
I want to end by saying that recently I’ve become extremely intrigued in watching experienced practitioners bail. I feel that in these few precious moments, true pakour is demonstrated. There is no time for calculation. No time for worry or anxiety. There is simply reaction in its pure form. Imagine what it would feel like to be in that state of mind every minute; to have complete acceptance of the natural/physical laws that guide us, and although we don’t know what’s going to happen next, confide in our training and our personal abilities to guide us and keep us safe.
This past gymnastics session, I decided to meditate on all the worries, fears, and anxieties I have with tumbling, manipulate them into a ball, and cast them away. I am aware of my limitations, my strengths and weaknesses, and through this knowledge I can act accordingly. Last Sunday I did my first roundoff backhandspring, roundoff back tuck, four backhandsprings in a row, and a side sumi. I had never attempted any of them before simply because I was always afraid of what might happen.
I’m not calculating anymore. I’m done being a slave to my own imagination.
Mobile upload coming your way! This right here is my “office” located in the RIT fitness center. I spend quite a good deal of my time here, watching the lemmings race their time and calories away on cardio equipment that could pay for a semester of my college tuition!
I came across this video from the American Parkour forums. At first I just dismissed it, called it stupid recklessness, and went on my way. However, then I came to the full video which shows not only the first jump, but also the second. Here it is:
The jump was performed “to spread the word of parkour” and that is why I feel a need to comment. This jump was reckless and simply put, a dumb idea. It’s a dumb idea in any situation, let alone in front of cameras. As I keep saying to everyone, if you are not 120% confident in your technique, do not do it front of cameras. This video read “amateur who is not ready to do this jump” all over it.
Look at how the first traceur handles himself in the air. Does that look like a person who is in control of his body? His limbs flail, his legs in particular go in every which way and it is very apparent that they are not ready to take the landing. The landing was ill-prepared, technically deficient, and horribly sloppy. Thank god he had mats. He most certainly would have destroyed at least one of his limbs.
The second traceur got hurt. He tries to play it off, but look at the guys face directly after impact. He is in shock and he’s lucky he was able to get up and walk after a landing that bad.
I’m writing this article to drill in a point: drops are not parkour, as is a go big or go home attitude. Big drops, crazy stunts, and death defying tricks are not how we want to expose parkour to the mainstream media. It’s simply not worth it. I’d rather see him do a simple kong than risk his life for the sake of a media story. Also, if you need a mat, chances are you shouldn’t be doing it, or are not ready for it.
Train safe and train smart. It really hurts me when I see media pieces like this coming out more and more every day.