Even if you aren't as big of a Spider-Man fan as I am, you've heard it a million times and seen a million different memes for it. However, for the benefit of those who haven't...
"With great power, comes great responsibility."
-Benjamin Franklin Parker, AKA Uncle Ben
It's a pivotal scene in every iteration of Spider-Man as Uncle Ben, shortly before dying, passes on this tremendous line to the young Peter Parker as he embarks on his career as a superhero. It's something that resonates with a lot of people and I'm no exception. I think about this line a great deal, especially as I get older and wiser with my years and ask myself "why?" quite a bit more than I used to.
I have always been strong barring anything catastrophic occurring, I always will be. If I am blessed enough to be an old man, I will surely be like the Odd Haugen or Danny Hodge type and trying to wow someone with the vestiges of my once proud physique and eager to impart the wisdom of my years on some young kid. Strength, in all of its forms, is worth more than money, fame or fortune. Strength and vitality cannot be sold for any price and, sadly, cannot truly be bought for any price. Everyone is young once, but not everyone is strong once.
The strength we build in the gym is one facet of being a strong person and at times it is easy to dismiss how valuable that component truly is, as we are constantly faced with peril at the hands of a crazy, digital world and a wide-open future. How will we face the unknown if we cannot master that which is known? For most people, the idea of maximizing themselves is never considered, but for some of us, the idea of maximizing ourselves is not only a goal, it is a responsibility. For we are born with one body, one mind, etc. but what we do with those gifts in the short time we have makes the difference between a life well spent, contributing to the greater good or a wasted, trivial existence.
Being strong is more than just the muscle or the weight you can lift, it is the expression of one's will to manipulate part of the material world. Whether that strength is exhibited in the arena of combat, weight lifting, mental exercises or anything else, anything at all, if you are born with a gift you have an obligation to use it. Not everyone will become famous or wealthy from every minor trait of theirs, but if you have a gift, don't let it collect dust. Don't let your soul become a home for moths and dust-use your gifts to give something to the world that wouldn't exist otherwise. The expression of yourself, through your skills and artistry increases your value in the world and inspires others to recognize their inner and outer strength as well. When we live in a world where people are eager to share those gifts with each other, we all get stronger and we all enrich the very world around us.
One man lifting weight in the gym might mean nothing to the media or garner no attention on social media, but if that man can encourage another man to try harder, and then someone else and someone else, then soon you have something too big to go unnoticed. And not for the sake of selling something or placing an ad on every possible, but to be in touch with your divine character and letting the spark that lives within you impact those around you so that they are encouraged. The over-commercialization of the world has turned nearly every exhibition of skill into a potential market to be exploited, and how many people have been turned away from competition due to financial or social pressures? Why do we continue to let every possible expression of ourselves become sullied with the stench of money? Your strength, your artistry and your passion-whatever they may be, all have a value that cannot be put into monetary terms so don't let the constant pressure of the marketplace turn your divine gifts into a commodity to be sold and controlled and made to be less than what it truly is.
Your strength demands to be tested. Your strength demands to be exhibited. Your strength demands to be placed before the world. You have a responsibility to everyone around you, and all whom you meet, to show them your strength and make it a force for good in this world. Your massive, bulging muscles are worthless if they only move when paid money to do so. Your art, your poetry your musicianship all exist whether you get paid to perform or not. Your inner strength and willingness to aid others means nothing without the physical manifestation that demands to be released.
You have a responsibility to the universe that gave you those gifts. You were not born to consume and then die-you were born to flourish. Everyone out there has something to offer to the world, and with that gift comes the responsibility to show it and to shine!
"With great power, comes great responsibility."
-Benjamin Franklin Parker, AKA Uncle Ben
It's a pivotal scene in every iteration of Spider-Man as Uncle Ben, shortly before dying, passes on this tremendous line to the young Peter Parker as he embarks on his career as a superhero. It's something that resonates with a lot of people and I'm no exception. I think about this line a great deal, especially as I get older and wiser with my years and ask myself "why?" quite a bit more than I used to.
I have always been strong barring anything catastrophic occurring, I always will be. If I am blessed enough to be an old man, I will surely be like the Odd Haugen or Danny Hodge type and trying to wow someone with the vestiges of my once proud physique and eager to impart the wisdom of my years on some young kid. Strength, in all of its forms, is worth more than money, fame or fortune. Strength and vitality cannot be sold for any price and, sadly, cannot truly be bought for any price. Everyone is young once, but not everyone is strong once.
The strength we build in the gym is one facet of being a strong person and at times it is easy to dismiss how valuable that component truly is, as we are constantly faced with peril at the hands of a crazy, digital world and a wide-open future. How will we face the unknown if we cannot master that which is known? For most people, the idea of maximizing themselves is never considered, but for some of us, the idea of maximizing ourselves is not only a goal, it is a responsibility. For we are born with one body, one mind, etc. but what we do with those gifts in the short time we have makes the difference between a life well spent, contributing to the greater good or a wasted, trivial existence.
Being strong is more than just the muscle or the weight you can lift, it is the expression of one's will to manipulate part of the material world. Whether that strength is exhibited in the arena of combat, weight lifting, mental exercises or anything else, anything at all, if you are born with a gift you have an obligation to use it. Not everyone will become famous or wealthy from every minor trait of theirs, but if you have a gift, don't let it collect dust. Don't let your soul become a home for moths and dust-use your gifts to give something to the world that wouldn't exist otherwise. The expression of yourself, through your skills and artistry increases your value in the world and inspires others to recognize their inner and outer strength as well. When we live in a world where people are eager to share those gifts with each other, we all get stronger and we all enrich the very world around us.
One man lifting weight in the gym might mean nothing to the media or garner no attention on social media, but if that man can encourage another man to try harder, and then someone else and someone else, then soon you have something too big to go unnoticed. And not for the sake of selling something or placing an ad on every possible, but to be in touch with your divine character and letting the spark that lives within you impact those around you so that they are encouraged. The over-commercialization of the world has turned nearly every exhibition of skill into a potential market to be exploited, and how many people have been turned away from competition due to financial or social pressures? Why do we continue to let every possible expression of ourselves become sullied with the stench of money? Your strength, your artistry and your passion-whatever they may be, all have a value that cannot be put into monetary terms so don't let the constant pressure of the marketplace turn your divine gifts into a commodity to be sold and controlled and made to be less than what it truly is.
Your strength demands to be tested. Your strength demands to be exhibited. Your strength demands to be placed before the world. You have a responsibility to everyone around you, and all whom you meet, to show them your strength and make it a force for good in this world. Your massive, bulging muscles are worthless if they only move when paid money to do so. Your art, your poetry your musicianship all exist whether you get paid to perform or not. Your inner strength and willingness to aid others means nothing without the physical manifestation that demands to be released.
You have a responsibility to the universe that gave you those gifts. You were not born to consume and then die-you were born to flourish. Everyone out there has something to offer to the world, and with that gift comes the responsibility to show it and to shine!
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