What is the point of all this suffering?
Thinkers and theologians have asked this question for centuries. Maybe a few grapplers have as well.
Jiu Jitsu is all hell, and competition is one of its inner circles, where searing heat can melt even the most hardened resolve to win.
Some insulate themselves with feigned dispassion.
I’m just happy to be here. It doesn’t matter if I win or lose.
Others insulate themselves with bravado. A cool indifference. An aloof air.
Why do we subject ourselves to this experience?
Learning and growth, yes. Victory, yes.
But I feel there’s something deeper.
It’s that this suffering, this tension – these are qualities of experience. These are dimensions of being as rich and powerful as the highest highs. The point of this particular breed of suffering, if it has one, is that it’s pointed and poignant.
The point is that it’s just as transient as joy. The point is to move with and and through it. The point is to meet it willingly.
And, if we really stretch ourselves, the point is to love it.
Category: Outer work
Tag: Hobbyist/competitor
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