For me crossfit tends to be something of an obsession. Lots of people can make that same claim, so I’m not unique. But (for better or worse) I also tend to see patterns and connections to things that at first glance seem far removed from each other.
The other day I read “The Book That Drove Them Crazy“, a review of a book called “The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students.” I have not read Bloom’s book, but I have read Robert Bork’s “Slouching Towards Gomorrah” and I suspect it’s the same kind of message. At the time I read Bork’s book, I didn’t find much to agree with.
Crossfit requires a huge amount of mental discipline. The whole concept of crossfit is based on intensity; it’s painful, so it takes a bit of work just to give oneself permission to endure it. For me there is also quite a bit of emotional energy, various attachments to ego, self-worth, self-perception.
Opening oneself up to the kind of self-analysis that promotes success in the physical arts is the same thing required for success in the “intellectual arts.” One of the most important classes I had in college (one of two, to be honest) was Drama 101: Theater Appreciation. I had never actually seen a play, much less done any acting. Getting up in front of people and reciting Thomas More’s final monologue in “A Man for All Seasons” was frightening. Crossfit has that same impact on me, and that very same appeal that I get from writing plays.
Developing the intellect requires the disciplines of self-awareness and self-analysis. Just like crossfit. What I’m finding is that the harder I work at crossfit, the more patience and perseverance I have in other parts of my life.
I really do need to re-read Robert Bork.
Cheers.
