As you said, there are just too many competitors here who bitch and complain but never speak up or try to do something about it.
I look at it like this: I only have one life to live.
Do I live it to my full potential and do everything in my power to realize that potential? Do I live a life that I can look back on and be proud of? That my parents would be proud of? Do I live a life that's real and sincere and do things because of my love for them?
Or
Do I live a life of shame? Do I live a life that reflects how I can impress others? Do I live a life that reflects my fear of failure? Do I act like everything is cool because I don't want to get in trouble or stand out? Do I live a life of a fake and succomb to wasting it on irrelevent activities?
I am not saying by any means that I nor anyone is perfect or should be. I am saying that one day you, I and every living person will look back and ask what did I do with my life?
The IL scene is like Highschool to me. Everyone wants to be in the coolest click. The problem is this: You have to be cool to belong but in order to be cool you have to belong. Get what I'm sayin'
You're screwed basically. Then when you look back at your Highschool days you see that all those "cool kids" are in the same situation now as they were before. Only now being cool aint so cool. Now all you have to show is that you have your cool friends (if you even stay friends) and no life, a dead end job and the rights to be in a click which gets you nothing in the outside world.
Competitors of IL,
Ask yourself this. Is your name or recognition or anything, worth losing your pride and sense of character. Is getting into that click or getting close to someone because it will elevate you to the next level (possibly) worth losing who you are deep down? We all age and our priorities change. Like it or not, one day you will no longer be on top no matter what you do.
Just saying the IL scene is messed up or ignoring it will not make it better. The East Coast and West Coast are better because they work to be better. They work together.
Do you think that half of the worlds discoveries and inventions would have been made had all the scientists brushed off the others in hopes that they would get all the fame? NO! They know better. They know that each person has a field in which they excell and that by combining forces they can reach a common goal.
What do you think would happen if every IL competitor united? It would force changes to be made that's what would happen. Look at the Ironman this year. It has mandatory Friday night weigh-ins.
If you think that just happened because they thought out of the blue "Hey, we should have Friday night weigh-ins!" Then you have some major issues. We pushed the envelope and they responded. Simple as that.
