For me crossfit tends to be something of an obsession. \u00a0Lots of people can make that same claim, so I’m not unique. \u00a0But (for better or worse) I also tend to see patterns and connections to things that at first glance seem far removed from each other.<\/p>\n
The other day I read “The Book That Drove Them Crazy<\/a>“, a review of a book called “The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today\u2019s Students.”<\/em>\u00a0 I have not read Bloom’s book, but I have read Robert Bork’s “Slouching Towards Gomorrah<\/a>” and I\u00a0suspect\u00a0it’s the same kind of message. At the time I read Bork’s book, I didn’t find much to agree with.<\/p>\n Crossfit requires a huge amount of mental discipline. \u00a0The 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. \u00a0For me there is also quite a bit of emotional energy, various\u00a0attachments\u00a0to ego, self-worth, self-perception.<\/p>\n 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.” \u00a0One of the most important classes I had in college (one of two, to be\u00a0honest) was Drama 101: Theater Appreciation. \u00a0I had never actually seen a play, much less done any acting. \u00a0Getting up in front of people and reciting Thomas More’s final\u00a0monologue\u00a0in “A Man for All Seasons<\/a>” was\u00a0frightening. \u00a0Crossfit has that same impact on me, and that very same appeal<\/a>\u00a0that I get from writing plays.<\/p>\n Developing the intellect requires the disciplines of self-awareness\u00a0and self-analysis. \u00a0Just like crossfit. \u00a0What I’m finding is that the harder I work at crossfit, the more patience and\u00a0perseverance\u00a0I have in other parts of my life.<\/p>\n