ThinkBlog

I was at the gym last night and really enjoyed myself.

For years, for indeed the vast majority of my life, I believed that there was a Cartesian dichotomy between good health—weight-lifter, marathoner good health—and the intellectual life. Years of reading William Gibson and the like (especially like-minded Japanese animé) had led me to believe that the flesh of my body was nothing but meat, something to be eschewed.

Last night was an experience that helped me understand the Eastern mindset and, indeed, the mindset that most pleases the Creator. It’s been a long time coming, but after a four-set, full-body workout, I sat in the sauna (120°+ F) for about thirty minutes. I met and talked with a few people. It’s enormously liberating: after all these years of trying not to sweat in front of anyone, going into a sauna and meeting people was like when I had a legal pint of beer and realized it didn’t mean I was a God-forsaken sinner. Such freedom! But the greatest was jumping into the pool afterward. Going from this mock-hell into the cool release of the water taught me something.

Viz., I like being in that hot place, near-passing out, indeed near-death if I’m not careful enough. The bleeding edge, where my body is raging against my mind, and the test of will takes everything I have. I love it, because of what’s next: standing with my back to a pool of 70° water, and dropping in without watching: that cool refreshment like no other. I felt like a new man.http://

That’s nice, I thought, but isn’t this rather like the Christian life? The Christian life, properly understood, is a battle, a fight of the flesh against spirit: lose track of yourself, fail to take in the Water of Life, and you’ll pass into a dreadful sleep. (Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain!) But when I lose track of that, I pursue eternity by creating trouble for myself: the stress of school compounded by my tardiness or failure to go to class, &c. If I were awake, this wouldn’t be an issue! The sweet release of which sauna-to-pool is but a type will come at the end of this life, only when the battle is over, the victory sure.

I was at the gym last night and really enjoyed myself.

For years, for indeed the vast majority of my life, I believed that there was a Cartesian dichotomy between good health—weight-lifter, marathoner good health—and the intellectual life. Years of reading William Gibson and the like (especially like-minded Japanese animé) had led me to believe that the flesh of my body was nothing but meat, something to be eschewed.

Last night was an experience that helped me understand the Eastern mindset and, indeed, the mindset that most pleases the Creator. It’s been a long time coming, but after a four-set, full-body workout, I sat in the sauna (120°+ F) for about thirty minutes. I met and talked with a few people. It’s enormously liberating: after all these years of trying not to sweat in front of anyone, going into a sauna and meeting people was like when I had a legal pint of beer and realized it didn’t mean I was a God-forsaken sinner. Such freedom! But the greatest was jumping into the pool afterward. Going from this mock-hell into the cool release of the water taught me something.

Viz., I like being in that hot place, near-passing out, indeed near-death if I’m not careful enough. The bleeding edge, where my body is raging against my mind, and the test of will takes everything I have. I love it, because of what’s next: standing with my back to a pool of 70° water, and dropping in without watching: that cool refreshment like no other. I felt like a new man.http://

That’s nice, I thought, but isn’t this rather like the Christian life? The Christian life, properly understood, is a battle, a fight of the flesh against spirit: lose track of yourself, fail to take in the Water of Life, and you’ll pass into a dreadful sleep. (Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain!) But when I lose track of that, I pursue eternity by creating trouble for myself: the stress of school compounded by my tardiness or failure to go to class, &c. If I were awake, this wouldn’t be an issue! The sweet release of which sauna-to-pool is but a type will come at the end of this life, only when the battle is over, the victory sure.