[Run&Meditate Day 17] Feb 5st, 2018: Recovering from heavy drinking and thoughts on corruption
It took me both Saturday and Sunday to recover from a heavy drinking on Friday night (as I write this, it's Monday night in Korea). Let me just say I am happy to be free from the effects of bad hangover... You wil find a bit more of details under Meditation section.
Daily Running: Day 20
Today's running...
Running details
- Distance: 5km
- Where: Indoor (company gym)
- Time: 26 min
- Speed Range: 8~13.2km/h
- Run type: Easy and recovery
- Incline: 1~2%
Strength&Flexibility
- Pull-ups: 3 sets of 6. Each grip. Focus on the form and recovery (alcohol still affecting me)
- Bench-press: 10kg each x 10, 15kg each x 5, Focused on the form, firing with elbows and utilizing as much core muscles as possible
- Jefferson-curl: 2.5kg each, asymmetric, 5kg each to finish up. Did this for 30 minutes, focusing on the form and working on my back and core. This exercise is really magical. I am sad that I found out about this just 3 months ago, and so happy that I am doing this now.
I could run more, but my body was not as strong. The drinking really brings consequences...
Daily Meditation: Day 24
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Meditated right after getting angered and frustrated with this news. Last year, Lee Jae Yong, heir of SamSung, the largest corporation in South Korea, got arrested for bribing then President Mrs. Park. He was sentenced for 12 years of priosn in the first ruling, but today, he got released. During the interview, he said "I will be more sensible and careful.' After reading the news, I wrote on my Facebook about it (pasted in italic below) and went on to meditate anyway. Such bad news disrupting my meditation? I will be angirer.
(My post on FB about the corruption news)
'Should I suppress my anger?
Should I just shut up and get back to my work, go do my meditation, and go to bed with a peaceful mind?
Should I stop wasting my energy on giving a shit about ever-lasting collusion between government and corporations that's rampant everywhere?
I have long detached myself from patriotism, feeling as if I owe anything to a country that has been taxing me and my parents since I was born, and pretend as if they care a shit about us.
Although I love Korean food, it's nature, and it's people, I like to think of myself as a citizen of Earth, than 'a Korean citizen.'
But I still can't help feeling emotional reaction to this type of news because, I live here right now and most of people I love are Koreans.
And this is... another appalling example of people with power (high court judges) choosing money and greed over everything else. This is another example of a wasted opportunity to set an example that can help grow a sustainable, healthy country based on collaboration and community, not on money and prestige.
Yeah, people might say 'This is how world works.'
Some probably see this news and flip it away saying 'Money is everything in Korea'
What a waste.
What a waste.
So yeah, I can't afford to waste any more minutes on getting angry at this, neither. I am going to forget this as soon as I post this on FB, where all the cheap rants and promises are dumped on.
I am going to go to do my meditation and find my own rhythm, and live on that wave.'
But for fuck's sake, this is just not right.. this is not right...
During meditation, I thought a lot about why I feel this way towards corruption, and what I can do about it. It's because it's just wrong. If everyone tries to use money and power to curve laws to favor them, what will a country look like? What will happen when people try to take short cuts and play little games, and see no value in honesty, authenticity, and real work? But I felt very powerless. After all, what can I do to stop such corruption? Am I desperate enough to commit my life to it? Is it something I can do on my own? What can I really do?
.
.
.
I kept bringing focus back to my breathing, and all of sudden, I laughed at myself.
I was just thinking about it all, just thinking about it all in words.
.
.
.
Sharing this news is doing something.
Making that post on Facebook is doing something.
(Writing this, I got 2 comments from strangers who saw my post on their feed, telling me my post resonated with them and thanking me for sharing my thoughts. I am happy I wrote this. )
Me keeping up with my meditation, and doing my work, is the most important thing.
.
.
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Now, speaking of keeping up with meditation, I skipped my Friday because I went out and got too drunk.
This is my second time skipping daily meditation, and each time, it was because of drinking.
I also couldn't run because I had to recover from the heavy intoxication for the entire weekend, and only today I could do an easy run.
I am seriously thinking about my relationship with alcohol and ways to cut it down and quit it eventually.
I am realizing it is doing much more harm to me than good.
I wrote a short post while I was still hungover asking for some help and tips, but my poor writing under the residual alcohol influecne and minnow-status didn't really generate traffic (thank you @runningdanw, for sharing your experience with your comment!). I talked with my girlfriend for over an hour about this and she gave me good tips and things to think about. I am writing down topics and themes for me to reflect further upon this, and will share with you soon.
Until then....
Happy running and meditating!
Sung, a running turtle
Little background on why I run and meditate
I got hooked to running in 2013. Running barefoot on grass, slowly, I learned how to be one with the movement. I loved running so much that I wanted to see how world's best runners live and train. So I went to Iten, Kenya in the summer of 2015. I read an ebook with a Korean content start-up called PUBLY about my 5 weeks in Iten). I want to share my experience with people who speak English as well, so I have started translating the prologue chapter. I hope to share my story with you soon. Until then, please check out some of the videos I took in Kenya. You will especially love this video of 10km race in Iten, which I filmed myself on the back of a motorbike. In my channel, there are many exercise and stretching videos that you will find beneficial as well. Follow me for more updates :)
I did a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in 2011. There, I experienced a center of peace within myself. However, college, grad school, and real world slowly took me away from the practice. I am giving myself some social accountability by committing myself to meditate 15min before going to bed and upload a post about it on Steemit, along with my running post. I chose to do 15 minutes because it does not feel too long nor insignificant. It feels very manageable, but at the same time long enough to induce me some equanimity and mindfulness.
Please leave comments for what you think and if you have any questions on running or meditation. Thanks!
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