4 ms·

My immediate thought was "this is pathological" -- some artifact of modern malaise. But on further thought it doesn't seem all that different from the sort of p

My immediate thought was "this is pathological" -- some artifact of modern malaise. But on further thought it doesn't seem all that different from the sort of punishing rituals that people have undertaken for the majority of human history: mortification of the flesh is a consistent theme. However, these rituals have almost always been spiritual in nature, with the goal seemingly transcendence (of the flesh, the self, what have you). It's not entirely clear that this parallel holds for the event described in the article -- but maybe I'm missing the point. Is it, ultimately, about transcending those limitations that "hold the self back"? Is the spiritual height being reached really just "your best self"?

0xdeadbeefbabe 10y ago
> Is it, ultimately, about transcending those limitations that "hold the self back"? Is the spiritual height being reached really just "your best self"? I suppose that's the purpose of life too.
- bertiewhykovich 10y ago
  Well, that's certainly the ethos of American modernity -- but there seems (to me, at least) to be little reason to believe that it's actually true. And, even if we were to assume the difficult-to-justify proposition that the purpose of life is to be your best self, it's hard to buy that this sort of behavior actually brings you closer to that goal -- any more than the Skoptsy were actually better able to commune with God after castration. (It probably sure felt like it worked at the time, though.)
  - 0xdeadbeefbabe 10y ago
    > this sort of behavior Resembles getting ready to die.
  - eli_gottlieb 10y ago
    >the purpose of life is to be your best self That is a tautology if I've ever seen one. "Best" is meaningless without some preexisting standard.
LeifCarrotson 10y ago
The parallel definitely holds for the event described in the article. The participants are exploring their own limits, and trying to push past them. The documentary "The Barkley Marathons" on Netflix explores the mentality of these athletes through conversations with the runners, and (IMO) does a much better job of describing the activity. The article paints them as circus freaks, while the documentary explores the way they think.
crpatino 10y ago
> However, these rituals have almost always been spiritual in nature, with the goal seemingly transcendence Do not generalize your Judeo-Christian experience to the totality of human religion. There are plenty of cultures/traditions that take a very bodily approach to spiritual development.
scott_s 10y ago
Two of the quoted competitors talk about that in the article. “I know this is not good for my body,” said Jay Lonsway, a urologist who completed the quintuple. “But it is good for my soul.” “When you are humbled by a race, you realize what the purpose is here,” he said. “In managing to dig so deep, you discover who you are.”

0xdeadbeefbabe 10y ago

> Is it, ultimately, about transcending those limitations that "hold the self back"? Is the spiritual height being reached really just "your best self"? I suppose that's the purpose of life too.

bertiewhykovich 10y ago
Well, that's certainly the ethos of American modernity -- but there seems (to me, at least) to be little reason to believe that it's actually true. And, even if we were to assume the difficult-to-justify proposition that the purpose of life is to be your best self, it's hard to buy that this sort of behavior actually brings you closer to that goal -- any more than the Skoptsy were actually better able to commune with God after castration. (It probably sure felt like it worked at the time, though.)
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 10y ago
  > this sort of behavior Resembles getting ready to die.
- eli_gottlieb 10y ago
  >the purpose of life is to be your best self That is a tautology if I've ever seen one. "Best" is meaningless without some preexisting standard.

LeifCarrotson 10y ago

The parallel definitely holds for the event described in the article. The participants are exploring their own limits, and trying to push past them. The documentary "The Barkley Marathons" on Netflix explores the mentality of these athletes through conversations with the runners, and (IMO) does a much better job of describing the activity. The article paints them as circus freaks, while the documentary explores the way they think.

crpatino 10y ago

> However, these rituals have almost always been spiritual in nature, with the goal seemingly transcendence Do not generalize your Judeo-Christian experience to the totality of human religion. There are plenty of cultures/traditions that take a very bodily approach to spiritual development.

scott_s 10y ago

Two of the quoted competitors talk about that in the article. “I know this is not good for my body,” said Jay Lonsway, a urologist who completed the quintuple. “But it is good for my soul.” “When you are humbled by a race, you realize what the purpose is here,” he said. “In managing to dig so deep, you discover who you are.”