[EXCERPT FROM STRENGTH BY DESIGN]

At the risk of sounding cliche, I will close my time with you through a quote and a terse commentary. 

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

- Socrates 

Why do we lift weights, why train at all? It's a simple question, and eventually, you will be asked in one form or another. I myself have asked that to people before. It never ceases to amaze me how they struggle for an answer. That answer is obviously not universal, however, there are not innumerable responses either. For many - if not most - aesthetics is the reason. For equally as many, acquiring peak physical performance is a worthy pursuit. For some the notion of health and longevity is as good a reason as any. And yet there is another response, one which is largely without societal acceptance. I will postulate for a moment that there is not insufficient evidence pointing to the ruling elite’s apparent desire for the next generation of young men to be weak and docile. Controllable, and defenseless. 

As I write this, I am reminded of a quote from the late Sir Winston Churchill: “In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies." Far-fetched as it may sound, I do not think that it is absurd to believe those surface-level motivations are pushed to increase the pride and vanity amongst young men, and distract from undertaking this task in a selfless manner. 

The stoics referred to their physical fitness as the practice of staying in fighting shape. Now, their definition of fighting was philosophical in nature, but the point remains. Violent crime is on the rise globally, and it seems that people are beginning to once more grasp that in a society devoid of legal reprisal - the only thing thugs understand is physical ferocity inflicted against them. Why do I mention this? Well, you should be capable of physical savagery. At the very least, you should appear that you are. This for sake of your loved ones and yourself is the best physical defense against victimization. Your body is the only deterrent you have at all times. It is the only weapon that can get through any checkpoint in the world. Pray that the time never comes when you are called upon, but understand that the situation chooses you - not the other way around.

With this in mind, when you train, pour your heart into it. 

Train like your life depends on it because one day, it might.