What Planet Did This Garbage Come From?

I did a little tour of a couple of gyms here in town and I REALLY got pissed off by one of them. The reason I got pissed is probably not reason you were thinking of.  We'll call the place (I'm refusing to call it a gym) PF. 

Yes, they have the lunk alarm.  Yes, they have all purple equipment.  Yes, everyone there was either a pencil-neck or looked like they were smuggling bags of loose nickels in their pants.  The culture of the "place" was what killed me.

This judgement free zone dog-squeeze is exactly what is wrong with society as a whole.  Disclaimer:  The next four sentences should be read with your best "whiney-bitch" voice.  If you are weak, no one should be stronger than you.  If you are stupid, no one should be smarter than you.  If you are lazy, no one should have better work ethic than you.  If someone makes more money than you it is because they were luckier than you were.  This type of mentality is exactly what you should stay away from.  It is no one else's fault that you are stupid, weak, or lazy.  It is your fault you are that way.

Guess what?  There are supposed to be stupid people, there are supposed to be weak people, BUT there are supposed to be intelligent people, and there are supposed to be strong people, and there are supposed to be successful, intrinsically motivated people.  If you want to be one of those that are strong, intelligent, or successful, you have to work at it.

You know what drives me nuts?  Dodgeball and trophies.  Dodgeball drives me insane.  Why?  It is non-existent today because of the same mentality that keeps PF in business.  But Matt, someone will have to be picked last for teams and some kids will get knocked out of the game first.  Guess what?  It is a lesson for life that every kid needs to learn.  Trophies are handed out like candy for kid's team sports.  You came in last place little Johnny, so here is a trophy.  What the hell is that?  I remember being in sixth grade and we just lost the last game of the season, which happened to be the championship game for the athletic association.  When we had the team party we got trophies and I can specifically remember thinking, "Why did we just get trophies for losing".

You shouldn't be angry that someone is better than you in any way, shape, or form.  That sort of thing should drive you to become as good, if not better, than that person you are looking at.  When I see other guys throwing better than me in the Highland Games it makes me angry.  Not because they threw higher or farther, rather I get angry at myself for not being able to match or beat their marks.  It is not their fault that they are better than I am, hell, they are working just as hard as I am to throw the way they do.  Which brings us to an old saying that I will probably butcher:

"Nothing worth having comes to you without hard work."

So, next time you encounter someone that is more successful than you at anything, don't run home, put your head down in the pillows, and turn on some Morrisey or The Smiths.  Make yourself better so that the next time you encounter that person you are more successful than they are.  Then you get to walk away looking like this guy:

All in all, don't be a sniveling piece of crap.  If you think you "deserve" better, think to yourself, "Have I EARNED better?".  No one deserves anything, you have to earn.  If you want stop being a worthless vagoo, drop the PF mentality and grow a set of testicles.  Little bit by little bit the world will become a better place for you and it will keep my blood pressure down.  At least until I find the next thing that lights a fire under my ass.