The Pursuit of Arete

The Pursuit of Arete

By Mr. Evan Bames
When I was in 8th or 9th grade, I remember studying the ancient Greeks in World History and my teacher taught us about the idea of Arete (pronounced AR-e-TAY). It was a Greek term for all-around excellence - whether it be intellect, athletics or physical - and it was the central idea of their culture. They believed in making the most of all they had to offer society and not wasting their gifts.

15 years later, that term still fascinates me. My teacher said it was a precursor to another term we all know - Renaissance Man, someone we consider to be well-rounded. It makes sense since the Italians looked back to the Greeks for inspiration during that time period.

This year has been a great journey for me as I've started a new blog and stepped up my fitness to lose some weight. I've been challenged spiritually as well and I feel like that as I approach my 30's, it's time to become even more comfortable pursuing the best that I can be. That's where Arete comes in and I figured out a three-pronged approach to help me reach that.

Mental excellence: Romans 12:2 is a scripture that's motivated me in faith and life. "Do not conform to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." As I've gotten older, I take this Scripture to see things differently than the average person. I read insightful people who challenge what I see so that I can be a better witness of the world around me.

In sports, I try to see things different than the average fan. In life, I try to make observations and connections that show how my thoughts have evolved to that time. If you've read this blog, you know that sometimes I go on different trains of thoughts than most.

To be mentally sharp, you not only need to read great writers/thinkers but you need to live and learn from peers and friends to see how to apply it.

That's why I'm chasing the EB Sports Report. That's why for four years, I've tried to make Virgo Gumbo a place of great thought and sharing unique perspective. That's why I've always loved reading. It's one thing to have a sharp mind, but it's entirely another to commit to keeping it sharp and being open to new perspectives.

Physical excellence: I'll give a deeper update on my full workout from March later but this year has been a revelation when I started to get serious about my weight. Since January 3, I've lost 25 lbs. and maybe look the best I've ever been in my life. But looking great hasn't compared to how I feel physically.

When I watch shows like "So You Think You Can Dance" or cover high school athletes with incredible strength and athleticism, I marvel at how their young bodies can do so much. I marvel at my 40-year-old godbrother who's one of the best athletes I know and is excellent in volleyball and basketball. I marvel at my girlfriend, who plays softball and stays in great shape in her own right.

That feeling is why I've chased getting my body right. It's not just for my goals but for my future. I want to be healthy enough to still do things in my 30's and beyond and I believe that it helps improve your mental excellence. Body image does wonders for the mind but the natural endorphins released during a workout have given me incredible motivation.

Spiritual excellence: This is where I can grow more. I know you're wondering why I said that since I go to church, participate in several ministries and try to live a good life. But it's more than just outwardly things.

When I did a devotion series this past month on changing how I see myself, one of the lessons was on integrity and discipline. It challenged me to be disciplined in reading the Bible more and staying true to what my foundation is.

In another twist of fate, a sermon from my pastor 2-3 weeks ago talked about Spiritual Discipline. As if God wants to hammer a nail in my head that 2013 needs to be a year of Discipline to prepare for something. So I hope to keep chasing spiritual excellence privately because it does no good publicly if it's not being fueled by God telling me how to be better.

Mind, body and soul in perfect union working towards being a better person. That's Arete. It can mean a lot of things but I'm making this approach my central goal the rest of 2013 (I've added it to my Twitter bio). I already feel like a different person than I was in 2012 and now I can't wait to see how it shows up in my work and interactions with people.

Thank you to Mr. Lennon for teaching me this all those years ago. My alma mater may be deceased but it's far from forgotten.

Thanks to Evan Bames for this post:

http://virgogumbo.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-pursuit-of-arete.html

The Internet is Broken

The Internet is Broken


1) Watch this video and read this article
2) Create a new post in your E-ports and write facts about this article.
3) Write your opinion of 'The Internet is Broken"
4) Write about "How does this apply to you?"

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They Said it Couldn't Be Done

What We Mortals Can Learn From the 4-Minute Mile

Written by Matt Frazier

The experts said it couldn’t be done

According to legend, experts said for years that the human body was simply not capable of a 4-minute mile.  It wasn’t just dangerous; it was impossible.

Further legends hold that people had tried for over a thousand years to break the barrier, even tying bulls behind them to increase the incentive to do the impossible.

In the 1940’s, the mile record was pushed to 4:01, where it stood for nine years, as runners struggled with the idea that, just maybe, the experts had it right.  Perhaps the human body had reached its limit.

The breakthrough

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier, running the distance in 3:59.4.  As part of his training, he relentlessly visualized the achievement in order to create a sense of certainty in his mind and body.

Barely a year after Bannister’s accomplishment,  someone else ran a mile in under 4 minutes. Then some more runners did. Now, it’s almost routine.  Even strong high-schoolers today run 4-minute miles.  [Note: this used to say “24 people broke the 4-minute mark within a year of Bannister.  This is wrong; see the comments.]

What does this mean for us?

I don’t know about you, but for me, a 4-minute mile is probably not in the cards.  (5 minutes?  Maybe one day.)  That’s not the point.  The point is this: It took a sense of extreme certainty for Roger Bannister to do what was considered un-doable.  He alone was able to create that certainty in himself without seeing any proof that it could be done.

But once he crashed through that barrier, the rest of the world saw that it was possible, and the previous record that had stood for nine years was broken routinely.

New Agers call it the Law of Attraction, scientists call it the RAS

I love this story.   I’ve witnessed firsthand what a little certainty can do.

When you become certain of something, when every part of your makeup believes it because you focus on it every single day, something “magical” happens.  Not New Age magical, but science magical.  We have a system in our bodies called the reticular activating system (RAS) that helps our brains decide what information to focus on and what to delete.

When you have a clearly-defined purpose, a mission, and when you live every moment in a state of certainty that you’ll achieve it, you influence what your RAS filters out and what lights it up.  As a result, you pay special attention things that help you achieve what you’re after, things you otherwise would have never noticed.

When I was trying to qualify for Boston, I wrote a post about how certain I had been that I’d do it, as documented by a grad-school application letter I wrote.  There was no reason for this certainty.  But I found it somewhere in myself, and it’s for that reason alone that I eventually did qualify last year.  (You’ve seen the new page about all my best BQ posts, right?)

And now, it’s that way with ultramarathons.  Before I knew that people even ran 100-milers, someone told me that a friend of mine was running them.  I didn’t believe it; I thought something had gotten garbled in the chain of communication.  But I found an ultra group and started training with them, guys and girls who do 50’s and 100’s all the time.  They’re not superhuman; they’re runners like me.  Some faster, some slower.  But now I’m certain.

Later this year I’ll run a 50-miler (the JFK 50-miler is a likely candidate), and I’ll run a 100 after that.  Of this I’m certain.

Where could you use a little certainty?  What would it take, short of proof, to make you believe?

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