Within And Beyond

A frequent complaint of people nowadays is that there isn't enough time in the day. In many ways, I find myself agreeing with this. Actually, it seems more like there's not enough time for the important things, and too much time for the unimportant things. Sure, we all need to work, pay bills, make payments, earn income, and all that. But does it make sense to put in 60 hours a week to pay for this lifestyle, and hustle ourselves into an early grave due to stress? And for that matter, does everyone do this, or is it only some people? I can only speak from my own experience, which involves somewhere between 10 and 15-hour days, depending on how busy the day is. But I try to make time for what's important, even if that means getting up at 5AM to hit the gym. Actually, this would be one of the important things, at least it's important to me.
What isn't important is driving a new car, living in a huge house, or wearing $150 sneakers. Now, this may be due to the nature of my job, that I can do certain things other people can't. But generally I've been trying this new year to live within my means, and spend time focusing on what's important- self-development, my family and generally getting my life in order. But what happens after that? Well, first, I'll keep on doing what I'm doing. When something stresses me out at work, (bureacracy...) I tend to keep that inside, then pound it out in the gym. I'm finding, incidentally, I like using the treadmill over running outside, at least in the winter. That springy rubber belt you run on is a little easier on the joints, too. I guess what it boils down to is that there are people out there who just go and go, and don't take the time to release stress.
Often I've heard of the "fight or flight" reflex, which served our ancestors well when they first came down from the trees, or out of the oceans, or whatever explanation you like. The body dumps adrenaline into our systems, preparing for danger. Either we fight it, or get the hell out of there. Yet in modern-day times there's little chance of loss of life. (driving in Oklahoma may be the exception to this rule). Yet the same mechanism stays in place, and the best way to dispose of this excess adrenaline, increased respiration and heart rate, is to do something physical. We have a mental situation with a physical response- perception carries a great deal of weight here. I'm not an expert on physiology, but it seems that engaging in this physical activity helsp to release some of the tension. So back to the point- the world, and the people in it, tend towards balance. So for every action, or every event, there's a reaction. Thus, when this gets out of balance, it's useful to bring these things back into balance.
Again, I really don't know if this is just me, or a solution for everyone else too. Not everyone can get to the gym every morning, but I suppose really it's a question of time management. Pretty much any type of relaxing exercise is helpful, and each person might actually end up doing something different that they find most beneficial- some people go hiking, go running, or even do yoga or some type of calisthenics.
It often seems that there's some kind of vast shadowy conspiracy out there to sell us stuff, foods, diets, stimulants, downers, everything like that- and it seems to play primarily off of insecurity, and the need for security. Do this, buy this, and you'll be happy, the advertisements we often encounter seem to say. Yet as someone or other said, happiness is temporary, peace is permanent. A lot of people aren't comfortable in their own skin- often myself included. I'm too fat, I'm too thin, I'm not handsome enough, I don't have an Incredible Hulk build like that guy. Yes, men are subject to 'idealized' images through the media too. I doubt I'm alone when I look at this and kind of scratch my head- better to be the best you that you can be than the best imitation of what you think the world wants you to be. I'm not the worst-looking guy on the block, but then, I tend to think that doesn't really matter, as I picked a starting point and decided to go from there. There was a time when I couldn't bench press my own body weight- the obvious answer was, start with what you can, and build up from there. Though I do tend to be impatient, wanting to see immediate results, I realize many things take time. The world moves at its own pace, not the pace I want it to move at. But the deciding factor is whether or not you stick to it- perserverance yields success, either that or you're doing it wrong in the first place.
So the point of this long diatribe is this- as a fellow inpatient in the mental hospital once told me, (and this has stuck with me ever since), hope springs eternal. Hope is a complicated thing, and the best way to hope is to ensure that what we hope for can come true, through our own actions and the things we do, or don't do. We are the masters of our own destiny- be confident, hell, be cocky, get knocked down on occasion, then get back up. Remember, you're never truly beaten until you don't get back up again. Okay, now take your moment of inspiration and go make the world a better place. So long, and thanks for all the fish.