Parkour Lesson #1: Substance vs Perception
23 Feb
After postponing for more than a month, last Sunday I attended my premiere Parkour practice session (bonus achievement points for me!). I’m interested in the exercise because of the connection I made after watching District 13, a movie featuring expert Parkour talents. As I shared in a previous article [1], I can relate well with the philosophy behind the art of movement that is Parkour.
high wire 2 by Graeme Maclean
During my childhood I suffered from Altophobia, a fear of heights. When I was at a high level from ground, I would lose my balance and felt heavy to one side – like I was constantly going to fall. I managed to overcome this fear during one out bond session I had several years ago as part of a larger personal breakthrough training, but I think a part of it still remains inside me today.
I was made aware once again of my fear of heights when we entered the balancing exercises where we tiptoed above a steel fence that had a cylindrical form. I kept thinking that I would fall off, and I couldn’t keep proper balance. Back on the ground though, I looked at the others tiptoeing and I thought to myself if it was lower I would certainly be able to keep balance. Why does the mere addition of height make me unable to perform what I would otherwise be able to do on low ground?
Fear of falling
Having fear of heights isn’t about the height itself as much as it is about the perception of height. Perception adds depth and a narrative towards the substance that may or may not have it. For some people, heights are threatening while for some people it isn’t.
Whether it be heights or something else, the perception we have in life forms our beliefs and also forms our fears. When we perceive, we don’t see things as they are – we see things as we interpret them. Perception is an important concept to understand in sound and music, since perception is the reason why people have different tastes – because they have their own narrative and their own opinions on the subject matter.
The things we fear come from our perception of that thing. A scientist may not be afraid of a tarantula like a normal person would, because the perception of the scientist and the normal person is different, even though the substance is the same: a tarantula. Difference of perception results in difference of thoughts and images that appear in our head, ultimately resulting in difference of reaction: the scientist is in awe, the normal person runs for his life.
Fear has its own benefit, and some degree of fear is essential to our survival after all. But for the things in life that determine our success, our perception of our environment and our own capabilities tend to obstruct more than it helps us to achieve our goals. Before anything is said and done, we already back off or reject the opportunity because our perception already tells us a pre-fabricated story that may not be true.
I’m going to fail at this job.
She’ll never accept my proposal.
But what if they think my idea is stupid?
Real substance
There are as many perceptions as there are lives who have lived and experienced stories. Yet, any substance we meet in real life is the same substance as anybody else meets. When we see a plane, we see a plane. But while one person may think of it as a dream to fly, another person might see it as a highly risky way to travel.
We need to learn to see the real substance, if not for the mere acknowledgment of it alone. If we still are afraid because of our perception, at least be aware about it. Don’t blame the substance when it’s your perception that’s at fault.
As I was standing on top of that fence with my right hand constantly on the wall, I laughed at myself because I realized this was silly. I can keep my balance, but why can’t I keep it up here? The fear of heights made me paralyzed, and I couldn’t move without taking my hand off the wall.
Our fear of things get in the way of our dreams.
Maybe we can achieve it, maybe we can’t. But we won’t know if we are too afraid to try it in the first place. To overcome fear, we need to understand our perception that forms the fear in the first place. Then maybe, overcoming fear is as simple as changing our perception.
—
[1] That’s Why They’re Called Parkour ARTISTS, 2009
[2] Photograph by Graeme Maclean. Because we shouldn’t be afraid
Beautifully written! I’m learning Parkour myself…and I never knew before, but after scaling a ten foot wall and standing on top and looking down, I realized I was scared. Scared I’d fall off. A fear of heights. I have good balance, but up there, looking down, I was afraid my balance would fail me.
I won’t give up, though.
Hopefully, with practice–and consistency–I can learn to overcome my fear, and do what I have always dreamed of doing…Parkour.
Thank you for this piece, it really made me think.
You’re welcome, Danielle. It’s nice to meet a fellow Parkour enthusiast (I dare not call myself a traceur yet
). Hopefully us both can experience steady progress physically, and understand the philosophy behind each Parkour practice we do.
Agreed.
I hope you overcome your obstacles and, one day, dare to call yourself a traceur.
I wish you the best. May we both excel steadily.
Good luck, and happy practicing.
Don’t forget to bring band-aid!
The first difficult part, is in consistently practicing: I’ve only had one session so far!
A hen is only an egg?s way of making another egg.
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.
C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do, it blows away your whole leg.
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
Cholesterol is your natural defence against excessive circulation of blood, which can carry venoms, poisons and other toxins around your body.
To the Honourable Member opposite I say, when he goes home tonight, may his mother run out from under the porch and bark at him
C combines all the power of assembly language with the ease of use of assembly language
Defining and analyzing humor is a pastime of humorless people.
The purpose of computing is not numbers but insight.
Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT’S relativity.
There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.
Gentleman: Knows how to play the bagpipes, but doesn’t.
So I was getting into my car, and this bloke says to me
Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.
I just bought a Mac to help me design the next Cray.
If you give a man a fish, he will eat for today. If you teach him to fish, he’ll understand why some people think golf is exciting.
The study of non-linear physics is like the study of non-elephant biology.
The internet is not something you just dump something on. It’s not a truck. It’s a series of tubes!
C++: an octopus made by nailing extra legs onto a dog
You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
wwprckmtfhwpjrufepou, http://www.ngtmifnoma.com vdwicjxqgo
When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.
I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying.
Copy from one, it’s plagiarism; copy from two, it’s research.
Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life.