Hey Buddy Weightlifting

Inspired by posters, we wanted to capture a Cave-moment, placing Hermes where usually would stand. We don’t want President Peya or the infamous Mogler to believe, that we actually lift at a training hall. This has to wait, but for now, let’s celebrate a 90kg Push Press (+ Split Jerk) by

This one was earned all the way by tailored/individualized programming & bloody hard work.

What a marvelous self-made Weightlifting platform. Everything one needs to feel like Ilya or Toma. Yet, it takes courage to lift on this platform, on any platform. It can mentally crush you; even physically 👑. You encounter people and with it their gaze, their judgement and from time to time heated arguments might occur.
So, how do you become more comfortable with ridicule, rejection and disdain by others. This might sound over-exaggerated, but all of this happened and even the best gym in the world DAS GYM isn’t immune to this.

Sit tight, this might be a long one.

In times of despair history teaches us that one likes to find retrieve in Stoicism. People often cherry pick pieces of wisdom and quote Marcus Aurelius: “It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own”.

Great emphasis is placed on the attainment of social validation and on looking good in the eyes of others; creating a stunt in each of our development. Social validation is derived from one thing: success in the external world or at least the appearance of it. Excessive orientation to the external world and an accompanied neglect of our inner development can be called a sickness.

What might be the cure? Don’t conform.

To be one of the few who stops living by reference to others, necessitates a diminished fear of ridicule, rejection and the disapproval of others. For one who fears such things will remain a conformist and thereby forever be susceptible to this kind of sickness.

Let’s invite Diogenes the Cynic and see if he can help us? He would walk backward into theatres against the flow of everyone who was exiting, for the purpose of acclimating himself to acts of non-conformity.
When he did this, people would mock him and question his purpose, to which he replied: “Aren’t you ashamed that while you’re walking in the wrong direction in life, you scoff at me for walking backwards?”

The chains of others opinions no longer constricted him. The burden of social validation did not weigh on him.

To be continued in the comments...