Stay in the Fight

I recently reread two essays by William James, "The Will to Believe" and "Is Life Worth Living?" and they only get better with age. I recommend both, they can be read online for free through Google Books. I think so highly of William James that there is little I can add to his words, so I will just do some choice quoting.

From "The Will to Believe":

"I began by a reference to Fitz James Stephen; let me end by a quotation from him. 'What do you think of yourself? What do you think of the world? . . . These are questions with which all must deal as it seems good to them. They are riddles of the Sphinx, and in some way or other we must deal with them . . . In all important transactions of life we have to take a leap in the dark . . . If we decide to leave the riddles unanswered, that is a choice; if we waver in our answer, that, too, is a choice: but whatever choice we make, we make it at our peril. If a man chooses to turn his back altogether on God and the future, no one can prevent him; no one can show beyond reasonable doubt that he is mistaken. If a man thinks otherwise and acts as he thinks, I do not see that any one can prove that he is mistaken. Each must act as he thinks best; and if he is wrong, so much the worse for him. We stand on a mountain pass in the midst of whirling snow and blinding mist, through which we get glimpses now and then of paths which may be deceptive. If we stand still we shall be frozen to death. If we take the wrong road we shall be dashed to pieces. We do not certainly know whether there is any right one. What must we do? 'Be strong and of a good courage.' Act for the best, hope for the best, and take what comes . . . If death ends all, we cannot meet death better."

"Is Life Worth Living?" is addressed to those in despair, which at some times is all of us. As James says, "In the deepest heart of all of us there is a corner in which the ultimate mystery of things works sadly." He quotes James Thomson from "The City of Dreadful Night" to illustrate the point: "My Brother, my poor Brothers, it is thus:/This life holds nothing good for us,/But it ends soon and nevermore can be;/And we knew nothing of it ere our birth,/And shall know nothing when consigned to earth:/I ponder these thoughts, and they comfort me."

James makes two main arguments that life is worth living. The first is to fight, to continue on bravely in the battle of living. He quotes here from Carlyle: "Wherefore, like a coward, dost thou forever pip and whimper, and go cowering and trembling? Despicable biped! Hast thou not a heart; canst thou not suffer whatsoever it be; and, as a Child of Freedom, though outcast, trample Tophet {Hell} itself under thy feet, while it consumes thee? Let it come, then; I will meet it and defy it!" Now that's rousing!

The second argument is the stronger. It's two pronged. First is the counter to scientific or skeptical doubt, that since there is no proof life is meaningful, that there is any significance to us beyond our complexity, that there is divinity or an afterlife, we cannot believe. The second prong is that belief itself, despite a lack of proof, helps to create the fact. I'll leave you with this long quote. And does not the final sentence sound like quantum physics?:

"But 'may be! may be!' one now hears the positivist contemptuously exclaim; 'what use can a scientific life have for maybes?' Well, I reply, the scientific life itself has much to do with maybes, and human life at large has everything to do with them. So far as man stands for anything, and is productive or originative at all, his entire vital function may be said to have to deal with maybes. Not a victory is gained, not a deed of faithfulness or courage is done, except upon a maybe; not a service, not a sally of generosity, not a scientific exploration or experiment or textbook, that may not be a mistake. It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all. And often enough our faith beforehand in an uncertified result is the only thing that makes the result come true.

Suppose, for instance, that you are climbing a mountain, and have worked yourself into a position from which the only escape is by a terrible leap. Have faith that you can successfully make it, and your feet are nerved to its accomplishment. But mistrust yourself, and think of all the sweet things you have heard the scientists say of maybes, and you will hesitate so long that, at last, all unstrung and trembling, and launching yourself in a moment of despair, you roll into the abyss. In such a case (and it belongs to an enormous class), the part of wisdom as well as of courage is to believe what is in the line of your needs, for only by such belief is the need fulfilled. Refuse to believe, and you shall indeed be right, for you shall irretrievably perish. But believe, and again you shall be right, for you shall save yourself. You make one or the other of two possible universes true by your trust or mistrust, -- both universes having only been maybes, in particular, before you contributed your act."

The Hard Volume High

I've started running. It has been a long time since I did any serious endurance training and I had forgotten the feeling of being crushed at the end of an hour of continuous exercise. In a full sweat, exhausted, stunned, heart beat pounding and psychologically in an altered state. You are impressed with what you've accomplished, you climbed the mountain you weren't sure you could get up. It's a powerfully positive state. I had forgotten how good it feels to just grind one out.

But I know that if I want to get better at running, I need to do other types of training. I need to do some repeat work, short distances run as fast as I can. I need to do some hills. But I'd rather not, and that's interesting. I'd rather not for two reasons. First is I know how slow I am and would feel disappointed at the end of the training session. Second, that type of work doesn't give me the "hard volume high." I'll be tired, whipped, but it won't feel as good.

It's also far more results driven, hitting a pace, the rest is timed, I either fail or succeed. Who wants that when I could rather just gut out some long distance and feel charged up after? If I really want to get better, I need to do a variety of work.

Coaches, don't forget what that hard volume high feels like and how your athletes (and you even) can get hooked on it.