[quote]Aleksandr wrote:
Professor X wrote:
…
I am honestly shocked that you of all people would be arguing on this point, especially considering how you respond to people regarding eating and working out. For the record, I think your attitude regarding training is spot-on: too many people make excuses for why they can’t add weight instead of just doing it. You think a person who has been working out for a few years should have made substantial progress, and you aren’t afraid to tell them they have wasted their time.
There are reasons people can’t progress in their training, and like with careers, most are psychological. Some guys are terrified of getting fat, to the point that if they add any fat at all, they slam the brakes on their bulk and jump into a cut too early, negating any gains. Some people think they will always be skinny, no matter how hard they try, and give up on adding muscle. Of course, to you the answer is an obvious “eat more”, and you are right.
You don’t know what life experiences have led these people to where they are, and you don’t know what psychological barriers they have. But you do seem to realize that rather than having a pity-party, they should be striving to overcome their issues. As my aikido instructor says, “don’t think, just do”.
This is especially easy for you, because you used to be skinny. You know what it’s like to be thin, decide you want to pack on a lot of muscle, and work hard to that end. You don’t consider that you could slip in the bath tub, break your neck and never be able to train again, because that line of thinking is completely fruitless. If it happens, it happens, but there is no point thinking about it.
You should know, I’m a skinny guy, and I find the fact that you were skinny and are now huge extremely inspiring. Likewise, I hope to be wildly successful, and when poor children hear my story, they will be inspired in the same way.
I’ll end by saying I firmly believe that the biggest obstacle to success is what I call “poor people mentality”. I think that many people from poor communities just don’t understand their options, don’t know how to identify opportunities, and don’t know how to pursue the opportunities they do see. I think taking the time to help a person overcome this is the greatest charity you could possibly give. Making opportunities available (eg, buying a person a new suit, helping them raise capital for a business) is a close second.
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This has been explained to you by others. If you STILL can’t understand it, no one is to blame but yourself. There is a huge difference between someone taking responsibility for THEMSELVES and doing everything they need to do to see results…and doing everything yet still being at the mercy of the will of others. There is nothing stopping someone from doing everything they can in their lives to help make their situation better. No one is saying that someone should sit on their ass and accept what life gives them. What is being explained to you, is that in terms of a job, you can do everything in your power and still not make it to the top spot in a career. You are blaming every person alive who is not successful for not trying hard enough. I even gave you an example where someone is in an accident and your response was “why would you think about that?”. Gee, doofus, you think about that because it counterpoints your argument. I am not for coddling anyone. However, I do know there are people like Christopher Reeves or people with cancer…people who have had life dole out punches that prevent them from simply doing whatever they enjoy doing at work. You want to ignore those when they are exactly who I am speaking of.
You made the mistake of assuming this meant that I am ok with someone not trying in school or simply not going to class. How you made that link is beyond me, but it shows how limited your thinking is. You are the type who, if you ever do become successful, will turn your nose up at all others who aren’t on the same level as if they simply didn’t try hard enough. The game of life is a little more complicated than someone having the will power to lift weights. I lift weights because it is something I can control. I make progress because I work hard enough for it. There is no one between me and the gym. However, in terms of schooling, what if I was not one of the ones chosen for the class I was a part of? What if I would have had two kids by then preventing me from going back to school because they needed to be fed? To you, these are non-issues? If they are, then there isn’t any point in continuing this debate.