Due to the current prevalent political climate in our country, in this week's running blog I decided to write about how running can also symbolize a political philosophy.
The long-distance runner yearns for freedom. It's that inward call for freedom that calls him to the outside, to discover his potential, to test his limits, and to go beyond what he has achieved so far. The runner does this repeatedly, through his own individual choice. And he does it even when it implies sacrifice, because he knows that it's only through sacrifice that he can earn satisfaction on race day. The runner understands that he has no automatic right to finish the race or achieve a personal best. That right comes only if he has first done his duty during training.
The runner therefore accepts the inequalities in the result, because he knows that it's that inequality which makes him strive to improve himself. He would never accept a "big government" that takes most of his hard-earned training hours away from him, to share them with some lazy couch-potato who chose to spend his time eating popcorn in front of a television screen, so that they can both achieve the same result on race day. The only "big government" he accepts, is the one which ensures that him and all the other runners have an equal opportunity on a level playing-field. What happens after that, depends only on the individual's choices.
The long-distance runner yearns for freedom. It's that inward call for freedom that calls him to the outside, to discover his potential, to test his limits, and to go beyond what he has achieved so far. The runner does this repeatedly, through his own individual choice. And he does it even when it implies sacrifice, because he knows that it's only through sacrifice that he can earn satisfaction on race day. The runner understands that he has no automatic right to finish the race or achieve a personal best. That right comes only if he has first done his duty during training.
The runner therefore accepts the inequalities in the result, because he knows that it's that inequality which makes him strive to improve himself. He would never accept a "big government" that takes most of his hard-earned training hours away from him, to share them with some lazy couch-potato who chose to spend his time eating popcorn in front of a television screen, so that they can both achieve the same result on race day. The only "big government" he accepts, is the one which ensures that him and all the other runners have an equal opportunity on a level playing-field. What happens after that, depends only on the individual's choices.
And he doesn't envy those who achieve better results than him, because he knows that the essence of life is not having everyone and everything equaled out, but that everyone is free to reach his own full potential, and that everyone is free to excel at what he does best. And seeing others achieve more, does not fill him with jealousy, but with inspiration to be better.
The true runner is therefore never a Communist, and rarely a Socialist.
In his purest form, he is a Libertarian.
I am running the Marathon for Inspire Malta (www.inspire.org.mt). To support my run and make a donation for this charitable institution, send an SMS to one of the below numbers, with the text "Mark Sammut, Malta Marathon". Thanks in advance.
50617359 - €2.33; 50618080 - €4.66; 50618926 - €6.99; 50619215 - €11.65
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