Great Stupid Accomplishments

[dgs49]

Undoubtedly this is a sign of my growing old, but I find myself frequently rolling my figurative eyes as I hear and read about people who have devoted their lives to one thing or another, and have reached the pinnacle of success at something that is of profoundly dubious value.

Mountain climbers. Really, who gives a shit? You train for months, risk your life, waste untold stretches of time and substantial resources, and do considerable damage to your body, in order to climb to the top of a hill. What a collossal waste.

Marathoners, ultra-marathoners, and for goodness sake, Iron-person Tri-athletes. Give me a fucking break. Yes, it's a monumental undertaking and it takes a lot of work, drive, determination, and all that stuff, but it is a criminal waste of time. Just because "Exercise is good," does not mean that "Exercise raised to the fourth power is better." I would bet good money that ninety well-planned minutes a week in a weight room and doing fifteen minutes of interval training every couple days can result in far better overall health (and vastly fewer injuries) than running a marathon a month - which a lot of people do.

Working (pick a number - 60, 70, 80) hours a week at a salaried job, and being proud of it. You gotta be either (1) incompetent, (2) incredibly inefficient, or (3) neurotic, to do this on an ongoing basis. Work is not life, and vice versa. "Work" is merely a means to an end, not an end in itself, even if you are a doctor - and especially if you are a lawyer. I have had a few times in my life when I've had to respond to short-term emergencies in the work place and work a ton of hours - for maybe a month or so. But I would have quit if it were permanent. This is not something to be proud of. Life is too short.

Graduate degrees. Most of them are a gigantic waste of time and effort, and do not constitute an "accomplishment" of any real significance, particularly when they are pursued before the "student" has done anything in the Real World. Obviously, professional degrees are a different story, as they are necessary to pursue the particular profession. I get the sense that there are hundreds of thousands of young Americans who are right now pursuing masters degrees in various subjects just because they couldn't find a job when they graduated from college. And as dumb as this is, it is dumb on steroids when done with borrowed money.

[Gob]

What woudl you rate as a worth while accomplishment Dave?

[TPFKA@W]

Writing the above post is not something to be proud of. It is a complete waste of time and effort. The time spent writing it could be better spent working on improving your bowel habits so you won't be so grouchy and full of shit.

[Scooter]

Someone is looking back on his wasted life and feeling inadequate.

[Miles]

Perhaps it could also be said that spending time personally attacking someone for their opinions is a waste of time, which is also a waste of life.

[Joe Guy]

Working hard to accomplish something and succeeding is a good thing. If it is not something you would personally attempt to do for whatever reason, it doesn't make it stupid.

It only makes it something that you have no interest in.

[Sean]

What Joe said!

Obtaining a Master's Degree with a baby on your back is an even greater accomplishment.

[Sue U]

There's a master's degree in rock climbing?

[oldr_n_wsr]

I don't see where these things are a waste of time. If it is something you enjoy, then by all means persue it. Get your pleasure out of it. I wasted tons of time drinking, and yes I did enjoy it for many years, but in the end, the joy was gone and only the habit/obsession remained so I have stopped. I do a lot of wood burning, I don't find it a waste of time, rather a relaxing hobby. Soething to keep the brain and the body occupied.

Schooling, fo schooling sake might be a waste of time, but if the person enjoys it, and can afford it, more power to them.

At the end of the day, who am I to judge?

[Lord Jim]

Writing the above post is not something to be proud of. It is a complete waste of time and effort. The time spent writing it could be better spent

Like climbing up the side of a cliff with a baby on your back...

[Lord Jim]

Oh damn, I posted that before I saw Sean's post....

What Joe said!

Obtaining a Master's Degree with a baby on your back is an even greater accomplishment.

Drat, pinched at the post....oh bugger...

[Gob]

I think it's worth while to add; all

[oldr_n_wsr]

A freind of a friend died while rock climbing. Some thingy pulled out of the rock and he fell about 3000 feet. Don't know if he hit anything on the way down (other than the bottom), but it was a closed casket.

[Gob]

Nasty. Was he soloing? (Climbing alone without ropes.)

[oldr_n_wsr]

Nasty. Was he soloing? (Climbing alone without ropes.)

I don't think he was alone, but he/they were using ropes. Some "hold on thingie" pulled out and he went down. Didn't hear about anyone else being hurt or killed. As I said, friend of a friend (I did met him a few times) nice enough guy once he got past that I was of German descent and he was Jewish which caused him some "problems". No problems on my side as I went to a high school that was 60% Jewish and have more than a few friends that are Jewish. Never had a problem with them, but he seemed to not like Germans even though I am two generations born in this country and both grandparents were citizens of the USA before WWII and even before Hitler started his crap.
Went to his wake (shivva???) to pay my respects.

[Gob]

Sounds like his gear ripped, and the belay failed. Not nice.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Not at all.

He was a painter here on LI then moved to Lake Tahoe and painted houses there. He painted Bruce Jeners house and rather than money, BJ gave him a few snowmobiles and quads as payment. This was at leat 15 years ago, so the Kardashian babes were younguns then (if even born yet).
Many of the people who's houses he painted out there would let him stay in their house while it was being painted (no paint smell for them). He lived like a king while painting those houses.

He always said, I can make good money painting houses here on LI, but I make great money doing the same job in Tahoe.

[Long Run]

Just because "Exercise is good," does not mean that "Exercise raised to the fourth power is better."

SPORTS
November 27, 2012, 8:02 p.m. ET
One Running Shoe in the Grave
New Studies on Older Endurance Athletes Suggest the Fittest Reap Few Health Benefits. * * *

In a study involving 52,600 people followed for three decades, the runners in the group had a 19% lower death rate than nonrunners, according to the Heart editorial. But among the running cohort, those who ran a lot—more than 20 to 25 miles a week—lost that mortality advantage.

Meanwhile, according to the Heart editorial, another large study found no mortality benefit for those who ran faster than 8 miles per hour, while those who ran slower reaped significant mortality benefits. * * *

Critics of the newer research say that the idea that running can harm the heart is based on research showing only an association—meaning that exercise may not be the cause of the problem. They note that in any large group of runners, high-mileage and high-speed athletes may be too few in number to be statistically significant.

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB1 ... ttop_email

[Guinevere]

Ha, my Swede and I were discussing this article last night. He (triathlete and marathoner and 55) wasn't thrilled, except he has moved on to a crossfit addiction, and he runs much less these days.

[The Hen]

Me? I am happy maintaining a healthy life style.

I have no time at present to indulge in more demanding pursuits. When I am time-affluent, in retirement, I would like to go on some more kick-arse kiwi stomps.