Although I myself am not a body builder and subconsciously
viewed those who are as unintelligent, reading Kathy Ackers essay was a way of
thinking that I had not considered. I found it interesting that she noticed the
silencing of her verbal skills as she immersed herself into the sport of bodybuilding
but I did feel that her ideas regarding the “language of body building” were a
little contrived. To me it seemed that she was simply describing the “zone”
that most people enter when an immense amount of concentration is required to
complete whatever task they are performing. When I go to the gym I have my own
mental tactics to pump myself up, push myself, and keep focused. What I do
believe is that by body building she found a new connection to her body that was,
for her, more powerful than words could describe. In that respect I can
understand her frustration over the inability to articulate an experience that
gave you a heightened awareness of yourself and somehow brought you an inner
peace.
I get where you're coming from. I remember the article alluding to bodybuilding as an act of meditation. It seems as though things like meditation and bodybuilding are stupid, boring, repetitive, but may have a deeper complexity to it. Acker explains that there is a practice of self awareness in the sport and isn't just a stupid activity
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