Training like Mishima for 7 Days
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Oh
00:01Today we're doing another book review. It's one of that
00:04I've already discussed which is Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima. I adore Mishima's novels
00:08This is no secret, but the author is controversial. So I just want to be clear
00:11I want to discuss the book and that's it for me
00:14The main appeal has always been how deeply introspective his work is
00:17This is something that I find so fascinating and immersive
00:20It almost feels like the author is trying to understand himself through his novels
00:23But in Sun and Steel Mishima speaks to us directly about his philosophy instead and we learned why this novel is in
00:291960s Japan decided to one day just pick up bodybuilding
00:33This book combines building muscle with philosophy and topics that you would normally wouldn't see together
00:38Sun and Steel is unique to say the least but I read this years ago and I realized just how much it helped me form
00:43My own ideas. So I wanted to break this down the same way
00:46This novel was built which is through Sun and Steel. So I'll be doing my weekly workout and you guys can come along
00:54Training the mind isn't so different from training the body
00:58Through challenges and practice we eventually advance and can move on to even harder problems
01:03But often, for many people at least, they see the mind and body as very separate
01:07While one is pursued, the other one is often left neglected
01:11I'm working out outside today because Bjorn sleeps in the room next to me and I thought it made sense as well
01:18And there's something really nice about being outside
01:23It's alluring, wanting to reach higher when you look up on the blue sky
01:28So it sort of fits for today as well
01:31Mishima thought there was too much emphasis on intellectuality in society
01:35And I think there's something interesting about a Nobel Prize worthy novelist coming to this thought
01:39As an author he felt his words were corrosive, thoughts on their own are just that, they're abstract
01:45While in contrast the physical has actual grounds in reality
01:48So he believed that the body and mind, when trained together, they complement each other
01:53And that leads to a higher form of self-improvement
01:55Mishima believed true wisdom and fulfillment came from this interplay of thinking and doing
02:00Just thinking on its own, or night thinking as he coined it, was something going downwards
02:05If your words should have any value, you must live them yourself
02:08All true philosophers understand and lived it
02:10So Mishima as a writer, for him words had come first
02:14And now he likened this newfound wisdom as a new language, the language of the flesh he called it
02:19And in his pursuit, he'd chosen steel to aid him
02:28That concludes today's exercise, I just showed pieces of it
02:31But body and mind, I think it's essential
02:38I just need it to ground me with my thoughts
02:42I overthink, I become anxious
02:45And I just can't imagine my life without one or another at least
02:52In Sun and Steel we read of a secret energy formula that brought Mishima to a heightened state of physique and focused mind
02:59Today we know of course that he was talking about G-Fuel's caffeine free hydration flavors
03:05Listen, it's summer, we need to hydrate more than ever
03:08G-Fuel's caffeine free flavors is a great way to motivate you to drink more
03:13Because of the delicious G-Fuel flavors, you can stay hydrated and not infringe on your daily caffeine intake
03:19They're literally zero everything, zero caffeine, zero sugar, zero calories, zero deaths
03:24With 5% muscle increase guaranteed, I think, maybe
03:28I know this is a bit out of place, but it also is a perfect fit
03:32Because this drink is vitamin fortified, which means it supports healthy brain functionality
03:37Mind and body combined
03:39Right now, if you use code PEWDIEPIE, in the next 48 hours only, you will save 30% off
03:45So definitely take advantage of that, code PEWDIEPIE
03:48There's a bunch of new flavors and new arrivals that you can check out as well
03:51It's a great way to support the channel and you guys can save 30% off
03:55So, appreciate it
03:58Kendo
04:01Mishima thought the body might be capable of its own logic and thought
04:05Kind of a bold statement
04:06He engaged in martial arts, kendo
04:08And he believed physical activities, like sports, can provide us with a certain knowledge
04:13So this is an embodied knowledge, which teaches us our limits, strengths, weaknesses
04:18They also make us understand our bodies
04:20Coordination, balance, endurance, resistance, resilience to pain
04:25And this is knowledge that is purely felt and therefore grasped unconsciously in a sense
04:30You feel the sweat that runs down your forehead
04:33And you feel the strain in your muscle when they reach their capacity
04:36And this is a reminder of our body's capabilities and responses
04:39Physique is often overlooked for many, it's a second thought at best
04:43But Mishima points out that those who have gained muscle and physical strength
04:47Rarely, or if ever, argue that their efforts are useless
04:51They recognize their efforts as something worthwhile and beneficial
04:55And this is a conclusion they come to
04:57Often without even giving any conscious thought to it
04:59Just like embodied wisdom, it's felt
05:01With this embodied knowledge, we gain a practical wisdom that we can apply to real life situations
05:06And this is a deep intuitive understanding of what works and what doesn't
05:16I think what, with sports or bouldering in particular
05:19That taught me is that you're always more capable than you think you are
05:22And I think gaining that confidence, it kind of applies to anything really
05:26And it's such a valuable thing to teach yourself
05:28And it's something I'm really grateful for
05:31It's a good embodied knowledge
05:36The sun is obviously a central theme in Mishima's Sun and Steel
05:39It represents life and strength
05:41And Mishima believed that the exposure to sun was necessary for his mind and body
05:45So he let the sun color his skin, as a way of branding him in a sense
05:49It represented his dedication to this philosophy
05:52And choosing pain over comfort
05:54As a reminder that he's actively living his thought
05:57And I quite like this
05:58It reminds me of when Greek philosophers would rather have their heads cut off
06:01Than to lose their beards
06:03It's just another way of reminding yourself and displaying that you're living your philosophy
06:07Because just like muscles are fluid and requires constant maintenance
06:11As so does our commitment to our ideas
06:16Pain is necessary
06:20It should not be feared or try to be avoided
06:23This goes both mentally and physically
06:25Anyone who reached a certain level in strength training
06:27Will have learned to love the pain it brings
06:29When feeling this sensation, it tests our endurance, resistance and willpower
06:33And this is how we can push beyond and reach new levels of physical but also mental strength
06:37Mishima thought pain was valuable because it reveals our vulnerabilities and weaknesses
06:42It forces us to understand ourselves because it reveals the core of our characters
06:47Anyone can save face until they've truly suffered
06:50Pain thus forces us into self-awareness and introspection
06:53We can also transform through pain
06:55Mentally and physically we become stronger
06:57And if we choose the opposite, which is comfort
07:00It would instead lead to mediocrity and stagnation
07:03So much of Mishima's ideas in Sun and Steel feels like
07:06Intuitively grasped ideas of what signs now tell us
07:09How some stress is actually more beneficial than none
07:12People often look at me as someone who's achieved a certain amount of success
07:16So why not just kick my feet back and relax fully
07:19And while my priorities have changed
07:21In the process of pain I find fulfillment
07:27There's a poem at the end of Sun and Steel called Icarus
07:33Where Mishima splits his two contrasting thoughts
07:39In the poem, this idea of ascending and still remaining grounded
07:46Why still should the lust for ascension seem in itself so close to madness?
07:54I just felt so much comfort reading that
07:59Reflecting on this week where I tried to train like Mishima
08:02I felt a solitude in my efforts
08:04And I think that's why I got weirdly emotional here, I didn't expect it
08:07I gained an improved grasp on the balance between body and mind
08:10And it started as a nice refresher
08:13I hope if you were inspired you will embrace the sun and reach higher
08:17But also ground yourself through the steel