144: The Wages of Stupidity are Personal Development

[Colin Rowsell]

The Wages of Stupidity are Personal Development

"I've been a sportsman since I was 3 years old and got hit on the head with a rugby ball. This is a rite of passage in New Zealand - if you haven't lost at least a few brain cells to the Great Game, you're a bit funny. Possibly a girl or a terrorist. Highlights of my brilliant career include over 100 twisted ankles in basketball, being on the wrong end of a cricket bat to the groin and the horror of the Large Sweaty Fat Man cagefighting incident."

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[madlep]

This is great. I used to live in Welly (Tinakori Rd even). Brings back memories.

 

[Finnish(ed)]

Awesome article and well written. I feel a sort of spiritual kinship with you, Mr. Rowsell.

I have been into BJJ and MMA for years and I am absolutely nuts about running, jumping and climbing in both urban and natural milieus. I feel that they are natural ways to exercise the body and mind. They require planning, coordination, balance, reflexes, speed, agility and strength. They also require you to overcome or inhibit many fears, like the fear of pain and the fear of heights.

These activities serve some very primal and animal parts of my being. There is something true and pure about them. There are few rules, or none at all. They are simple in nature, yet encompass a multitude of techniques and challenges. In my view, most sports and games are derived in some way from the basic, free forms of fighting and moving. Those skills can also help in many potentially dangerous situations.

Many buildings and natural formations seem to beg for you to climb and conquer them. However, the cover of darkness is essential when conquering urban edifices, if you wish to minimize the amount of unwanted attention and contact with law enforcement.

 

[Same River New Water]

Okay, okay, we get it! You're in New Zealand! You don't have to remind us every friggin' sentence. It was ok the first time, but this is the, what, third article? in a couple of months where every second paragraph or more featured a subtle-as-a-brick Kiwi culture reference.

I'm an Australian. My mum's side of the family are all from New Zealand, mostly living in Wellington. I've been there a dozen times, went to school there for a year. It's a great place. It isn't intrinsically relevant to every article.

The article was good for the most part, though I never really got a sense of what Colin Running is supposed to be or how it related to being smothered by a fat man.