This is a post that I recently wrote for Society of Strength, a new organization trying to bring all strength sports together in one supportive group. The article is called “Defining Strength” and while you might read the post here, please visit Society of Strength after and look around! You never know what you might learn! Often I have seen individuals fall in love with powerlifting, strongman, Crossfit, and more. What’s even better is that more often that not, those individuals are not athletes but just average people who love the cooperative nature of those sports, as opposed to bodybuilding or some other disciplines that can be very lonely. Either way, your experience is what you make it! Read this and you’re already going to be one step closer to being hungry and fit!
How does one go about defining strength? It’s a word in the English language that translates well, but the concept of strength is universal. It’s relative to every living creature yet completely essential to life. Depending on what you value and what you need, strength can be everything or nothing.
Strength can make the difference for a newborn turtle trying to make the perilous journey from the beach to a safer spot in the ocean. Strength can be the fine line between life and death in a struggle with a dangerous disease. At the same time, building strength can be the goal of the 5×5 program assigned to a rich and successful Wall Street businessman by his top-of-the-line health coach.
Strength really can be defined in so many ways and sometimes we don’t even choose to use that word. Power, might, determination, and even fight are all words that are often associated with a single goal. That goal embodies the spirit of the human race, the will to survive and the drive to succeed. Success in itself is also relative to the individual so again, we return to uniqueness.
Therefore, one might say that strength cannot easily be defined. Rather, strengthcan be considered something that everyone has, wants, and needs. They show that strength in different ways and require different things from others in order togive them more strength.
Since society, through its sheer size, cannot easily define strength, we must be open to accepting multiple definitions in order to make the individuals and communities that create our society stronger. Through this relentless yet gentle empowerment of others, we can be a part of the movement that is creating a society of strength. What’s your contribution going to be?
