But what if we blocked all of our exits, and stopped ourselves from numbing out or escaping being present to our feelings and the moment in front of us?
~ Leo Babauta from, Refraining From Letting Ourselves Numb Out
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What if indeed!
Much of my personal changes arise from observing my habitual behavior and then putting up some sort of road block (or at least adding some friction) to derail me when I head for the habitual behavior.
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Now I realize I was not giving up anything of any use to anyone. The news never really added to my knowledge in any meaningful way. It just added a steady stream of limited and unsubstantiated viewpoints on select issues to my head, which is already full of limited and unsubstantiated viewpoints. The news doesn’t inform you about what’s happening in the world. The news only informs you of what’s on the news.
~ David Cain from, There’s Nothing Small About the World
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One of the first steps I ever took in turning my life around was to get a handle on my information “diet.” In the beginning, there was TV. I was horribly mistaken in thinking that it was possible to obtain any useful news from TV. (There’s plenty of entertainment on TV if you’re willing to guzzle advertising with it.) Early on, perhaps around ~1993, I realized you could use RSS (and it’s many descendent flavors) to watch [as in, “notice when things are published”, not “mindlessly stare at”] information sources of my choosing.
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Literally everyone should be using RSS to control the information they consume.
I’m sorry that RSS is a terrible name for such a wonderful thing.
If you’re already an RSS convert, here https://constantine.name/feed
If not, I suggest you read a few things that I’ve written https://constantine.name/tag/rss/
No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.
~ Albert Einstein
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Blogs are different. There’s a presumption of informed mature decision making. I come out with a new book, I mention it and then we all move on. You’re smart. You can handle it.
~ Seth Godin from, Treating people like they’re smart
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You may have noticed that there’s nothing other than [what’s called] the “center well” on my blog.
Perhaps you have you wondered why that is?
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On Castbox.fm — Adam McClellan, Caitlin Pontrella, & Alan Tran | Art of Retreat
What makes Art of Retreat a transformative experience for community leaders and organizers?
Leaders gather to exchange ideas, solve problems, and shape the future of Parkour communities.
It’s been kind of special to wake up in the morning and have it be peaceful and quiet and more nature oriented. And I think that’s changed the vibe in a certain way which has been pretty valuable.
~ Adam McClellan (0:37)
Art of Retreat, held in the Cascade Mountains, brings together leaders, educators, and organizers to foster collaboration and growth in the Parkour community. The setting contrasts with previous urban locations, providing a peaceful and cohesive environment for attendees to engage deeply with one another. A significant focus of the event is creating a space for problem-solving, leadership development, and community building, with sessions addressing topics like business practices, sports psychology, and story branding.
When I think about stand-out experiences from the weekend, honestly, it was— …while the talks, obviously, are the key elements, the things that really resonated with me were the things beyond that: The community building, and getting a sense of group-making and cohesion.
~ Caitlin Pontrella (2:52)
Attendees value the social aspects and shared experiences beyond the formal talks, such as night missions, treasure hunts, and cabin activities. The organizers emphasize the importance of a diverse speaker lineup, often through an application process, ensuring a wide range of voices and perspectives. Challenges like travel logistics and expanding the event’s duration are under consideration to enhance the experience further. The event continues to grow in geographic reach and influence, drawing participants from international locations and various parts of North America.
Takeaways
The impact of location — A shift to the Cascade Mountains enhances cohesion and creates a peaceful, reflective environment.
Cohesion and connection — The retreat format allows for deeper group bonding and social interaction beyond formal sessions.
Community-focused programming — The event emphasizes leadership, education, and business aspects of Parkour, filling gaps left by other events focused solely on physical practice.
Diversity of voices — A mix of invited speakers and open applications ensures a broad range of perspectives and expertise.
Importance of informal moments — Activities like treasure hunts, night missions, and shared meals foster community and collaboration.
Expanding reach — The conference attracts attendees from across North America and internationally, reflecting its growing influence.
Future improvements — Plans include addressing travel logistics, adding additional days for decompression, and increasing focus on leadership and team-building topics.
Event co-creation — Volunteers, sponsors, and venue staff play crucial roles in the event’s success, highlighting the collaborative nature of the retreat.
Resources
Parkour Visions — A supporting organization that contributed to the event’s success and logistics.
Firestorm Freerunning — Sponsored the event and provided community support.
Axiom Parkour — Partner organization contributing to workshops and sessions.
YMCA Camp Lake Wenatchee — The venue for the retreat, providing a scenic and well-maintained environment for the conference.
Movers Mindset — Craig’s platform involved in recording and sharing content from the retreat.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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This is an instance of what philosophers call testimony. It’s similar to the sort of testimony given in a courtroom, but it’s less formal and much more frequent. Testimony happens any time you believe something because someone else vouched for the information. Most of our knowledge about the world is secondhand knowledge that comes to us through testimony. After all, we can’t each do all of our own scientific research, or make our own maps of distant cities.
~ Regina Rini from, How to Fix Fake News
This is a nice introduction to the idea of “testimony.” By saying or writing whatever-it-is-I’m-considering, would I be building up, or tearing down my reliability as a source of testimony?
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The flame itself has a soothing, mesmerizing effect. So often, the conversation around a campfire hits a lull, and everyone finds themselves gazing into the glowing, crackling bowels of the fire. It seems to say, “Welcome home.”
~ David Cain from, People and Fire
He also mentions Jack London’s, “To Build a Fire” which you should totally read as well.
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I am a member of this group, and I have an obligation to treat others as I would like to be treated — I’ll let the guy go before me, clean up the mess, and not waste people’s time for my own minimal gains.
~ Jeff Cerny from, Jeff Cerny’s insight
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I wish Seth had fully attributed what he quoted. Anyway. Hop over and read it…
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Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
~ Dale Carnegie
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Luckily, this problem has a solution: I call it Getting Your Brain Back, but it is a time-honored problem that has been solved by many people in the past. Originally limited only to company CEOs and world leaders, the excess of information has trickled down to the rest of us. To survive in this flood, we need to learn how to swim, in much the same way as busy and important people have always done.
~ Peter Adeney from, New Year’s Resolution: Getting Your Brain Back
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…and just how bad have things become? Try this short TED talk:
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When someone is that afraid of being contradicted, they are no longer concerned with the truth, only with protecting their priceless investment in what they have said. To honor a statement you made yesterday as a binding declaration of who you are is a tragic, yet extremely common mistake. This is the fundamental error that plagues humanity: to mistake one’s ego for oneself. Enforcing an impossible, lifelong consistency in what you say and believe can only lead to dishonesty and despair.
~ David Cain from, 4 Brilliant Remarks From History’s Wisest American
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When I thought I was basically “done” becoming who I would become, I got bent out of shape over all the problems I saw in the world.
Now that I realize that the only meaningful life is one where I continuously tinker with self-improvement, I see that–just like me–everyone else is on a journey of transformation… wether or not they realize it.
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For example, as part of GDPR, we’re now constantly seeing pop-ups that say, “Hey, we use cookies — click here.” This doesn’t help. You have no idea what you’re doing, what you’re consenting to. A meaningful choice would be, say, “I’m OK that you’re using cookies to track me” or “I don’t want to be tracked but still want to enjoy the service” or “It’s fine to use cookies for this particular transaction, but throw unnecessary data out and never share it with others.” But none of these choices are provided. In what sense is this a matter of choosing (versus mere picking)?
~ Scott Berinato from, Why Data Privacy Based on Consent Is Impossible
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One cannot legislate morality. GDPR does nothing to change people’s morals. The same people are still working within those same corporations with their same unconsidered morals. A new law simply changes the playing field in which those same people continue working towards the same goals they already had.
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I think what I notice with people who are a little older is it’s really easy for them to dismiss social media as, like, this vapid and shallow thing in which you’re trying to get likes and engagement, but what they don’t realize is it’s like a huge part of some people’s social lives and it’s, like, very much a part of how you see this world and interact with the world. And it’s not just “oh I wanna get likes to, like, seem cool” it’s like “Oh, this is my social life in many ways, and it has been for a very long time.” And that’s kinda how I view applause at basecamp in many ways, too; It’s like my social life at work.
~ Tara Mann from, Please Don’t Like This — REWORK
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Exactly!
It is really easy to dismiss social media, because it is vapid and shallow.
The insight here is that eventually you too will stop acting like a 14-year-old, become an adult, realize social media is vapid and shallow, and then dismiss it easily.
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What lessons can we learn about personal growth, community building, and training innovation through parkour?
Craig sits down to interview Ville Leppanen, a lifelong learner and member of the Finnish Parkour community. Ville discusses how he uses different tools in his coaching, how to work smarter instead of harder, and how he uses interval training to help him in parkour. Finally, Ville touches on how his coaching has evolved over the years and how his teaching has helped him learn things about himself.
For me, the process is, ‘okay, I have this idea and… I have no idea…’ Is it any good? Will it work? Will it be interesting? But what the hell, let’s give it a go!
~ Ville Leppanen (4:00)
The conversation highlights Ville Leppanen’s innovative approach to coaching, focusing on using tools, questions, and unconventional methods to inspire curiosity and adaptability in training. Ville shares his perspective on integrating scientific principles into parkour, aiming to combine rigorous research with the sport’s creative essence. Discussions also touch on interval training strategies for maximizing physical performance while balancing intensity and recovery.
The dialogue explores the Finnish parkour community’s cohesiveness, influenced by cultural tendencies toward collaboration and organization. Ville reflects on how confrontation and cultural differences affect community dynamics. He emphasizes the value of stepping outside the parkour bubble by exploring other disciplines, fostering a holistic movement practice, and gaining new insights to improve coaching and community-building efforts.
Takeaways
Ville’s philosophy on tools — Using simple objects in creative ways enhances learning and training processes.
Interval training — Tailoring work-rest cycles to optimize endurance and intensity in parkour practice.
Finnish parkour community — Unified by collaboration and early organization, reflecting Finnish cultural traits.
Confrontation avoidance — Addressing how cultural norms shape community interactions and growth.
Questions as tools — Facilitating personal and student growth by fostering curiosity rather than providing answers.
Exploring diverse disciplines — Engaging with other activities enriches perspectives and enhances movement skills.
Long-term physical goals — Prioritizing sustainable, playful training to ensure lifelong movement capability.
Family classes in parkour — A Finnish innovation promoting intergenerational bonding through shared movement experiences.
Resources
American Rendezvous — A well-organized parkour event Ville attended, noted for its professionalism.
Supreme Parkour Armageddon — An annual Finnish parkour event known for its evolving, humorous naming tradition.
Parkour Generations — Features coaching and events that Ville mentioned as impactful early in his training.
Sisu — A Finnish concept of perseverance and resilience, central to Ville’s outlook.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; Not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.
~ Lao Tzu
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You will get hurt. You will embarrass yourself. You will wish you did things differently. You will forget things that are too important to forget. You will lose things you can’t afford to lose.
~ David Cain from, Secret Lessons From Sesame Street
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Once more. Louder, for those in the back.
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Things that are every bit as great happen every day in scientific labs, and no one cares. Maybe as a society we’ve become anesthetized to science — when really, it’s so exciting. We have so much to gain as a country if we invest in science and knowledge and understanding. I don’t blame the public for not understanding, though, or even legislators for sometimes not wanting to invest. They all look so much like my family.
~ Renee Reijo Pera from, In the Ticking of the Embryonic Clock, She Finds Answers | Quanta Magazine
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There are several science-y details in this interview that really startled me; Our knowledge of embryo development is vastly improved since last I looked.
…but mostly I just like the sentiment of wonder she expresses. “When is the last time I learned something new?” is a question I try to update the answer to every day.
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While I’m worrying in my little apartment about getting my writing done or doing my laundry, it lends me some perspective if I can remember that somewhere out there, precisely as I’m tending to my human to-do list, there are beavers taking down trees, ants hustling to feed their queen, rabbits feasting on backyard gardens, and elephants showing their children where the water hole is.
~ David Cain from, Same Purpose, Different Styles
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Perspective is a wonderful thing.
In the beginning, a few months of summer vacation represents a significant portion of your life’s memories. Years later, each month flies by. In the beginning, the first project you create is the greatest idea the world has ever been shown. Years later, the projects are too numerous to recall, and the next one is considered with a weathered gaze before being sent out into the world. Challenging physical activities are dopamine-fun in the beginning. Years later, the physicality brings only a pleasant, difuse joy.
Perspective is empowering.
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When our mind is tranquil, there will be an occasional pause to its feverish activities, there will be a letting go, and it is only then in the interval between two thoughts that a flash of UNDERSTANDING—understanding, which is not thought—can take place.
~ Bruce Lee from, Artist of Life (Bruce Lee Library) by Bruce Lee
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I’m not sure I’ve experienced the not-thought which is that flash of understanding. I think things are even more simple; Year after year, as I quiet my mind, understand simply expands into the new space.
Regardless, tranquility is key. Pausing is key.
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