The Deadlift exercise:

Stronger Revolution part 2

Immunization For Mind Viruses

When I was a kid summer felt like it lasted forever… and that was a good thing!

What kind of weird kid would be anxious to go back to the prison of public schools, where our freedom to wake up at the crack of dawn and watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while eating Coco Puffs straight from the box, only to spend the rest of the afternoon playing Marco Polo in your neighbor’s swimming pool?

Summer was great!

School sucked!

Well the summer before fourth grade had finally come to an end for me, my siblings and the neighborhood kids that hung out on Stanton Avenue, an oak tree lined, sleepy street on the north side of Baldwin, Long Island.

On the morning of the first day of school I woke up and ran into my brother’s bedroom, as I did every school day morning in previous years, I ripped the pillow from beneath his sleepy head and proceeded to slam him in the back of the skull with it until he finally rolled out of the sack onto the floor.

When Eric finally managed to crawl off the floor and lurch towards me with both hands aimed at my throat, I screamed out a loud and taunting cry, “GROOOOSSS!”

Eric had Coco Puff sized spots all over his face and neck.  He looked like a villain from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cartoons we watched every morning… and I proceeded to attack him like one!

After several minutes of calling him names and warding him off with my imaginary nunchucks, my mother came into to room and immediately yanked me away from my little brother and wisked him off to the bathroom.

My mother was a nurse in a children’s hospice for almost 30 years so it didn’t take long for her to diagnose my brother with Chicken Pox.

Mom warned me to stay away from Eric, or I might contract the virus.  Then she went to examine my other brother and little sister.

And guess what?

They had chicken pox too!  All 3 of my younger siblings were covered from head to toe with little, ugly brown spots.

Intent on finding one of these tell-tale markings on my body, my mom stripped me down to my bare ass and examined me for about 20 minutes… then she gave me permission to get dressed and go to school.

To my surprise, Chicken Pox meant NO SCHOOL! — for my siblings.

I was jealous of my siblings and felt that it was unfair for them to get an extended summer due to some silly little marks on their body.  But my objection was met with a swift backhand to the face and a long finger pointing to the front door, “get out of here!” she said.

When I got to school I noticed what was typically a class of 20 student had only about 10 students in attendance on this first day of school!  I quickly discovered that most of the neighborhood kids, including my best friend who slept over almost every night in August, had gotten the virus.

Everyone… except me.

As it turns out, I’ve got a pretty strong immune system.  I very rarely got sick as a kid and most viral or bacterial epidemics seems to blow right past me while devastating the “weaker” organisms by my side.

When I was 9 years old it seemed that I was cursed!  Never would I get the chance to extend my summer or even get a three day weekend due to the physical infection of an invisible, almost ghost-like, monster that would grab and manipulate the bodies of my siblings and friends.

Today, I am grateful for the strong immune system that I was blessed with and often brag to friends and clients that “I simply DO NOT get sick”.

When people who are sick and are carrying a virus that may be contagious, they often refuse to shake my hand or be in my presence in order to avoid getting me sick.

Last winter when the so-called Swine Flu was creeping up and attacking unsuspecting weaklings, the basketball coach of one of the teams I was training got bitten by the super-bug.  On the day that he suspected he may be carrying the Swine Flu he declined my outstretched hand in his attempt to “save me”.

I told him, “Dude, I DO NOT get sick!”

Then I grabbed his hand and shook it like I was running for mayor.  Shit, I could have just as well licked his sweaty palm and French kissed him and still not get bitten by the boogie bug!

But with all of my display of arrogance, and while scoffing at those who allow themselves to be infected by little nasty, invisible monsters…

I am VERY susceptible to a far more dangerous and damaging virus that is in a constant battle with my self-manufactured defenses.

This skillfully hidden hellion resides in the minds of men and can instantly be spread by a distant glance or word shared between men that are hundreds of miles away!

I call this The Mind Virus.

According to Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene , ideas will proliferate and reproduce in environments that are resourceful to its existence regardless of weather the ideas are beneficial or damaging to the host.

He calls these viruses of the mind, Memes.

Memes or Mind Viruses can be good or they can be bad, but the bottom line is that THEY ARE.

These viruses exist to manipulate the minds of men and in turn dictate the behavior by which their character, and ultimately their lives, are built.

An example of how Memes evolve to change the minds of men in a given “social matrix”, is how homosexuality has been perceived in western culture.

There was a time (like in the movie “Alexander The Great”) when men often enjoyed the “company” of other men.  Their wives were meant for procreation… and their buddies were meant for, well… buddying around.

Then, due to a major religious and philosophical shift in the European collective consciousness (or social matrix) towards the Judeo-Christian ideal, it was no longer cool to bone your homeboys!  In fact, up until very recently you could be killed for such an act!

Today, it kinda trendy to be gay again.  If you don’t believe me just watch any cable AND network television station for longer than 30 minutes.

The collective consciousness or meme structure within the American root social matrix has decided to “change its mind”. (or it had it’s mind changed for them)

Now, weather you think being gay is cool or not, is NOT the point.

Whatever you “think”, just happens to be the meme that has inhabited your consciousness at this current time.  At any time in the future it is possible that a new mental virus may infect your mind and you will “believe” something different.

And you are ALWAYS being infected!

Most of what people think they “believe” is simply just an idea that they have been infected with.

More than likely you did not consciously choose the meme that is running your life.  It had been downloaded by default of being alive, just like viruses attack your PC by its virtue of being, well a PC!

When you participate in being a human being you are susceptible to the viruses, like chicken pox and homophobia, that are spread by other human beings.

As a kid, my parents made an effort to only feed us the healthiest foods they could buy.  We took vitamins and played in the sun all summer long.  Fresh air, sunshine and good food are the raw materials for a strong immune system.

Coupled this with the fact that I was the oldest sibling and my mothers first child, gave me the well-fated advantage of strong immunity.

You might say that I was “lucky” to have never gotten Chicken Pox.

However you look at it, I did not get sick because I was STRONGER than the others. Perhaps not by my own virtue, but true nonetheless.

The memes and mental viruses that are sneaking around your eyes and ears, waiting to pounce on you right now, are looking for the weak link in your mind and character in order to attack.

We fortify our defenses against these viruses by getting STRONGER!

When we have a strong sense of awareness;

When we can look at ourselves and others objectively, instead of through a foggy lens marred by prejudices and fear, we perceive from a place of strength.

With our stronger mental defense we have the ability to nurture memes that are resourceful for us to keep, and ward off memes that we feel are harmful.

I am not here to tell you what memes you should choose to accept or deny… I just want you to be aware that they exist.

And I go even further to invite you to challenge all of your assumptions.

Take NOTHING for face value, as what may be called “truth” today may be despised as lies tomorrow.

Today the Earth is flat… tomorrow it is round.

Also, beware that many of the “beliefs” held by those you know have been created in a lab by greedy corporations, religious vampires and tyrannical government institutions that seek to control your mind for power and profit.

All in the name of safety and security.

Lies!

The only real security available to you is found in developing YOUR STRENGTH!

Get Stronger => Manifesto Of Strength