Post by lucasbalkan on Jul 12, 2020 15:02:13 GMT -5
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goals requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” Martin Luther King
It wasn’t just a nice apartment, it was spacious. The space allowed us to practice, to refine our craft and to progress.
How is progress defined? Well, there are two definitions but let’s focus on the second for now.
“development towards an advanced or improved condition”
That was very much our goal. Our little collection of alternates and misfits. Focused and serious. We all knew that we had talent but we were not where we wanted to be, we had not achieved what we wanted. Either the level of achievements or consistency of them. It what why I had brought us together. We were alike, we had shared values, shared passions and shared goals.
Not like the teams in tournaments like the SFT Lethal Lottery where enemies or acquaintances are thrown together for a nights common cause.
No, we weren’t like that. With a handful of old judo mats, a lot of caffeine and that focus on improvement, we knocked seven shades of shit out of each other for weeks and months after we moved into that apartment block.
We worked out, we talked over our respective weaknesses and we practiced to reduce and remove them. Boxing, Muay Thai, catch wrestling... all on those mats for hours at a time. We were always exhausted but we knew that we were progressing. It was the end of 2018 and we knew that the next few years would see a dramatic uptick in our fortunes.
I still had no fortune of my own so I balanced wrestling improvement and shows with Uber and security. The money continued to come in and I saved what I could. Maybe one day I would be back in the big time, earning good money and earning it legitimately...
After our physical training, we would eat and talk. We would share backgrounds and views, politics and faiths.
George Bernard Shaw said that progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
To be physically aligned, we needed to be mentally aligned. We challenged each other, we fought, we reconciled. There was blood, there were tears... We thought about those who’d treated us like shit and how we’d like revenge. We thought about those who we’d treated like shit and how they would want revenge. We plotted and schemed, we conspired and connived.
We became something more than just a wrestling team. We’d progressed beyond that.
Emerson, as much as I respect you, our team will never progress beyond chasing the final of the Lethal Lottery. That’s fine. Not everyone is fated to work together for the long term.
You have been doing well in SFT. You’ve progressed well so far in the Lethal Lottery. You’re still the World Champion. In some ways, it’s just the norm. Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. That was Frank Zappa, who said that, Emerson. Progress is coming.
But let’s flatten the two remaining barriers first.
I have no fear of the Accountant or Jay Impact but I will give them their due. They are at the same stage as we are, so we must respect that. Of course, there was always going to be someone on the opposite side of the bracket from me at this stage. It could have been anyone, really.
But it’s you, Jay. Proof that these Lethal Lottery teams do not progress beyond one match. Last time out I tolerated you until we won, now I will be looking to end your feeble attempt at progressing upward in SFT.
The same goes for you, Accountant. You’ve achieved a lot and you’ve progressed through this tournament but, unfortunately for you, this is where the journey ends. When you return, you can focus on the other trinkets in SFT and others whose journeys do not reach the top. That’s my domain. It’s my partner Emerson’s for now but not for long.
You know, the other definition of progress is “forward or onward movement towards a destination”. In that sense, I am progressing towards winning this tournament and towards the SFT World Championship. Whether anyone likes it or not.
Now, let’s get on with it.
