Can We Talk 2

Marathon Monks

         I Learned about a fascinating group in Japan called Marathon Monks.They're Buddhists, of course. They actually run marathons, spread out over 7 years. After the first 99 days, they decide to drop out or continue. If they choose to continue, they must complete the challenge or kill themselves.

         Pretty harsh, huh? They run 100 consecutive days a year until about the 4th or 5th year, when they up it to 200 days. For 9 days after running the 100 days, they are kept awake by two guards and do not eat or drink. The mileage increases significantly in year 4, and increases each year thereafter. They end up running about 52 miles a day for 200 days in a row, regardless of weather.

         Only 46 men have completed the challenge in the last ten years. These are the ones who have found enlightenment supposedly. The hill near the monastery is covered with unmarked graves of the ones who quit.

         One of their slogans is that you must commit to something or you will be distracted by everything.

         While, few of us want the do or die attitude, we must admit we get distracted. We want to do many things, but get distracted by shopping, or TV, or video games, or hanging out with work buddies who aren't really our friends. We say we want to write a book, or paint a picture, but we have errands to run, dishes to wash, or puzzles to do. We don't really commit ourselves to one thing. Our families and friends don't even know we feel strongly about our dreams or our goals.

         I'm not advocating ignoring your kids, or letting dirty dishes pile up, or skipping work. But we can take a lesson from these monks. Are we really committed to our goals or just doing some wishful thinking? What are our priorities? What do we really want? What can we leave out? How dedicated are we?

         I have to think about how committed I am to the things I've taken on.