People are getting a little desperate. They might not show their best elements to you. You must never lower yourself to being a person you don’t like. There is no better time than now to have a moral and civic backbone. To have a moral and civic true north. This is a tremendous opportunity for you, a young person, to be heroic.
~ Henry Rollins
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Perspective is endlessly fascinating to me. What is it like to look back on decades of one’s own efforts? What’s it like to look back on one’s efforts if they’ve shifted the world?
Three and a half decades ago, when I invented the web […]
~ Tim Berners-Lee from, Marking the Web’s 35th Birthday: An Open Letter – World Wide Web Foundation
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Well, that’s an ‘I’ statement with a little punch.
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Real life is found only in the present. If people tell you that you should live your life preparing for the future, do not believe them. We live in this life, and we know this life only, and therefore all our efforts should be directed toward the improvement of this life. Not your life in general but every hour of this life should be lived in the best way you know how.
~ Leo Tolstoy
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Aristotle talked about three kinds of work, whereas in our modern world we tend to emphasize only two. The first is theoretical work, for which the end goal is truth. The second is practical work, where the objective is action. But there is a third: It is poietical work. The philosopher Martin Heidegger described poiesis as a “bringing-forth.” This third type of work is the Essentialist way of approaching execution: An Essentialist produces more—brings forth more—by removing more instead of doing more.
~ Greg McKeown
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… and soon the day has gone by and we wonder what we did with the day.
~ Leo Babauta from, Interstitial Ritual: Finding Focus & Mindfulness in Your Day – Zen Habits Website
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I marked this for “read later” back in December 2021, and am just getting around to reading it. I know that many—most? all?—of the amazing coincidences I find in my life arise from my innate, monkey-brain drive to see patterns and causation where none actually exists. I don’t care. It’s a nice coincidence that I’ve just gotten around to reading this, while in the past couple of weeks I’ve been simplifying and focusing on a small number of things that I want to be working on.
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Not only do most deliberate practitioners not spend all day at it, they also devote a lot of time to recuperation and recovery. They sleep as much as their bodies need. They nap if necessary. They take frequent, refreshing breaks. Most of us understand that rest is necessary after physical activity. But we can underestimate its importance after mental activity, too. Deliberate practice needs to be sustainable for the long term. How long a person keeps at a skill is often far more important than how many hours a day they spend on it.
~ Shane Parrish from, The Ultimate Deliberate Practice Guide: How to Be the Best
I’m going to trot out a rare: HOLY CRAP! Because that post is a small book on deliberate practice. If you’re only up for some skimming, click through and smash-scroll to the summary and book list at the bottom of that post.
Then I’m going to briefly stride over one of my fave soap boxes: Sleep.
…and settle onto pointing out that I make a deliberate practice out of working on writing these blog posts. I’ve been working, (off-and-on, one break involved some lawn mowing,) for four hours this morning from that one Parrish post. I’ve read it, blogged [this] about it, posted about it in another community, captured a few quotes, learned more about the Oddyssey, and wrote a blog post about a common Homer quote.
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How can movement practices like Parcon Resilience foster connection, empathy, and anti-racism in diverse communities?
Andrew Suseno’s Parcon goes beyond the physical to create community and fight racism. Andrew discusses his family, ancestors, and their role in his identity. We explore what Parcon is, why he created Parcon Resilience, and his vision for the anti-racist work it does. Andrew unpacks various pieces of racism in modern America, how Parcon Resilience addresses it, and shares why the work he does inspires him.
When somebody is Parcon’ing with somebody who might be in a chair— who might have the ability to maybe do a couple steps if they had somebody in kind of a dynamic balance with them or helping take off some of their weight— Then all of a sudden it becomes possible! There’s this invitation across ability to be able to create new possibilities for being in public, for being in the world, and it’s not just a singular thing.
~ Andrew Suseno (17:48)
The discussion explores Parcon Resilience as an innovative practice combining movement, community, and anti-racist principles. Andrew goes into the origins of Parcon Resilience, blending influences from contact improvisation and parkour to create relational and environmental somatic experiences. The practice emphasizes inclusivity, enabling people of all abilities to connect and express themselves, often in public spaces, to challenge societal norms about movement and relationships.
The conversation also addresses broader themes of racism, intersectionality, and ancestral connections. Andrew explains how Parcon Resilience helps people embody anti-racism by fostering empathy and honoring diverse experiences. Discussions include the socio-political implications of movement and the transformative potential of connecting with one’s environment, others, and ancestral history.
Takeaways
Inclusivity in movement practices — Parcon Resilience allows individuals of all abilities to engage in meaningful interactions.
Contact improvisation — The foundational principles emphasize shared weight and nonverbal communication between participants.
Anti-racism through movement — Parcon Resilience focuses on fostering race consciousness and addressing societal inequalities.
Connection to environment — Participants explore nontraditional spaces and movements to form deeper relationships with their surroundings.
Empathy and relational practices — The focus on shared experiences builds mutual understanding and challenges societal divisions.
Intersectionality in practice — The framework centers on people of color across various intersecting identities.
Cultural and ancestral connections — Honoring one’s past and culture through movement deepens personal and collective identity.
Challenging ableist norms — Activities break barriers between able-bodied individuals and those with disabilities.
Transforming public spaces — Movement activities in public invite diverse interactions and challenge conventional use of urban environments.
Resources
People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond — Organization providing anti-racism workshops and initiatives.
Andrea Smith’s article on Heteropatriarchy — A piece discussing the three pillars of white supremacy.
High Line Park — The location for one of Parcon Resilience’s public flash mobs in New York City.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Think about this question for a moment. The Apollo program was massive in size and complexity. It was executed at an incredible pace (only eight years spanned Kennedy’s pledge to Armstrong’s steps) and it yielded innovations at a staggering rate.
~ Cal Newport from, How We Sent a Man to the Moon Without E-mail and Why it Matters Today – Cal Newport
And it was all done without e-mail.
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Not just without email, but without computers or networks or cell phones or even hand calculators. They did it with paper, drafting tools and slide rules. Meetings, planning, and most importantly:
Communication.
All these tools that I have are only useful if I understand how they work. When you first start working in some field, you get the most basic tools—two manual, screwdrivers; one straight-blade and one Philips head. When you can tell me why the Philips head was invented, you can have a hand driver with interchangeable driver heads (“bits.”) When you can use them all… When you see a screw-head and pick the right bit… When you’ve exhausted your forearm from driving screws, then you can have a power driver. When you use the friction clutch correctly, you can have a larger power driver. And so on. (You can tell the quality of the craftsman by the way they maintain their tools. Yes, skilled persons can do great work with shitty tools. But at mastery level, the art is expressed in the tools themselves. Yes, all arts.)
So yes, you really do need to understand the different between wifi, cellular and Ethernet; between Apple’s IM, carrier SMS, and WhatsApp; between email, Google Docs, and Word.
As Carl Sagan wrote, “We live in a society…“
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On Castbox.fm — Nikkie Zanevsky | Partner Games & Mobility
How can engaging in partner-based movement games and external variables enhance physical adaptability and uncover gaps in personal movement practices?
Exploring how others shape our environment can lead to unexpected breakthroughs in movement and training.
[T]he point for me is, it’s someone else changing the environment. So you—as the person coming in and interacting with that environment—you can’t default to your patterns, because you have to react to something someone else is doing.
~ Nikkie Zanevsky (6:57)
The conversation explores the use of partner games and external tools, such as PVC pipes, to enhance movement and adaptability in physical training. The session focuses on creating scenarios where participants cannot rely solely on habitual patterns but must respond dynamically to changing environments. This approach draws from disciplines like Parkour, fighting monkey, and natural movement practices, aiming to challenge participants’ movement in new and unpredictable ways.
A significant emphasis is placed on the value of collaborative practice, as working with others exposes blind spots and encourages creative adaptation. The discussion highlights specific drills involving throwing, catching, and navigating around PVC pipes, with variations that challenge agility, coordination, and responsiveness. The role of environmental context, whether in natural outdoor settings or urban spaces, also plays a crucial part in shaping how participants engage with the exercises.
Takeaways
Engaging with partners — Training with others exposes blind spots and reveals movement weaknesses.
Environmental adaptability — Changing environments forces practitioners to break habitual patterns.
Simple tools — Objects like PVC pipes serve as effective catalysts for complex movement challenges.
Play and competition — Incorporating game elements enhances learning and makes repetitive drills engaging.
Collaborative learning — Observing and imitating peers enriches personal practice and encourages creativity.
Unpredictable variables — Introducing randomness through partners or tools helps improve reaction time and adaptability.
Softness and flow — Learning to soften and receive energy during partner exercises enhances movement fluidity.
Resources
getwildlyfit.com — Official website for Wildly Fit, offering movement-based coaching and resources.
Get Wildly Fit @getwildlyfit — Nikki Zanevsky’s movement coaching practice, showcasing partner drills and movement games.
Art of Retreat — Organization hosting leadership and education retreats focused on Parkour and movement disciplines.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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(Part 52 of 72 in series, My Journey)
When the ‘me’ is obliterated by fear or the demands of immediate survival, action is no longer constrained by social forces, and the individual is left with a sense of self-determination. […] Behavior in edgework appears to the individual as an innate response arising from sources deep within the individual, untouched by socializing influences”
~ Stephen Lyng from, Edgework, 2004
A couple years ago I tried to write something explaining what exactly it is about practicing parkour that I like so much. It turns out others are way WAY ahead of me. Julie Angel (you have read Cinè Parkour, right?) talks a bit about “edgework”; The idea of negotiating the “edges” between things like consciousness/unconsciousness, sanity/insanity, and life/death. Others (H.S. Thompson and Lyng) have talked about “edgework” in depth.
And I agree. My experience is that being in the parkour practice — even just the visceral edges where I’m pushing my physical limits while exposing myself to only manageable levels of risk — just totally strips away all the context of my work-a-day life. Everything — all the way down to my thoughts — everything falls away.
My martial arts teacher has a great phrase related to edgework: No this. No that. No delay.
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There has been much written about past debt bubbles and collapses. The situation we are facing today is different. In the past, the world economy was growing, even if a particular area was reaching limits, such as too much population relative to agricultural land. Even if a local area collapsed, the rest of the world could go on without them. Now, the world economy is much more networked, so a collapse in one area affects other areas as well. There is much more danger of a widespread collapse.
~ Gail Tverberg from, The Problem of Debt as We Reach Oil Limits | Our Finite World
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Who – only let him be a man and intent upon honor – is not eager for the honorable ordeal and prompt to assume perilous duties? To what energetic man is not idleness a punishment?
~ Seneca
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