Savage / Zen Newsletter No. 89
July 2024
“A new ignorance is on the horizon, an ignorance borne not of a lack of knowledge but of too much knowledge, too much data, too many theories, too little time.”
~ Eugene Thacker
One or two years ago I stopped listening to podcasts. There’s a handful that I’ll catch an odd episode of, but it’s gotten quite far from my weekly routine. I haven’t stopped “learning”, but I stopped caring about having a queue of books or bragging about my “read” list at the end of the year.
During the “COVID years”, like many people, I was looking for opportunity and generally trying to cope with uncertainty, disenchantment, and resentment by becoming a glutton for information.
Eventually, I couldn’t take it. More was, in fact, not better. My brain needed a break. I needed time to think, about nothing. It’s a mistake to interpret knowledge as understanding. The internet is abound with all manner of “coaches”; life coaches, mindset coaches, nutrition coaches, and so-called self-ascribed “experts” of every ilk.
The information is out there, true. You could read all the books and PubMed articles, listen to all the podcasts and YouTube how-tos, but what’s the difference? The difference is that you haven’t, and probably won’t. Not the reading, not the gathering of information; it’s the requisite time (and practice and mistakes) to understand.
Comprehension is paramount; application is inevitable. We will inevitably practice what we’ve learned and learned to value — perhaps that’s parroting talking heads on cable news, maybe it’s reciting study abstracts, or seemingly profound philosophy quotes.
What separates the “real ones” is that it becomes abundantly clear to other “real ones” who has (and has not) spent thousands of hours working with real humans to solve real problems — psychiatric, physical, academic, recreational, vocational, and so on.
Yet, there is evermore pressure to become “objective” in order to be perceived as “scientific” or “wise” or "expert.” But let us not forget how quickly science has become trademarked and we’re relentlessly instructed to “trust” the authoritative figures. How long until the same is true of various “arts” (martial or otherwise).
“Best practice” demands subjectivity and sensitivity; and the awareness to asses and resourcefulness to adapt. If you refuse to look, you will never see. If you never see, you will never think. What good is thinking if you never feel? How can you truly “feel” something and call it “real” without first being assailed by it’s complexity and encumbered by it’s gravity? Abject certainty is the most seductive poison.
(time * effort) / truth = art
What I’m Listening To:
This is well worth a listen for far more than “fitness and jiu jitsu training tips”; of course, those are there too, but the most intricate and valuable parts I found were related to teaching and learning, how to coach, and finding / creating value.
What’s New:
Scope of practice and accountability are all valid reasons for pursuing certain credentials. What business does a counselor have talking about nutrition or conditioning? In the case of a literal audit, you can check my resume. Savvy?
Much to the point, Joel’s certification program isn’t NCCA accredited, but it is accredited by “the streets.” If you want to work with a generic population, there are numerous generic certifications that are equally legitimate. However, Joel’s clientele, and the way he presents information sold me on the way I like to learn and who I want to work with.
With that said, the program content was great. It was in-depth and nerdy enough to justify a premium price tag as well as teach me some new things. It was also presented clearly and well organized in a way that a lot of material, even if it was a “review” for me, was presented with a fresh perspective. However, if you are brand new to the strength and conditioning realm it’s a pretty difficult course; needing to score 80% on a 50 question exam that spans 20+ hours of content.
Site Updates:
I’m always looking for ways to improve and create more applicable content. While I clearly have a niche interest in nutrition and mental health, the primary content here will be re-focusing on grappling — since the name of the publication is SavageZen “Jiu Jitsu.”
The “downloads” page still exists, but is hidden. Marketing folks will tell you to create “lead magnets”, but the above podcast reminded me that people value what they pay for.
By contrast, all premium content will now also get pushed to the “Notes” section; where only paid subscribers can respond to those Notes (rather than duplicating between Substack’s “Notes” and “Chat” functions).
All free posts will also be pushed to the “Notes” section for private / paid discussion in case there is something you don’t want to leave in a public comment on the article itself.
Content categories can be found on the “Tags” page.