The Necessity of Practice
Practice is preparation. Without practice the human being is unprepared
to meet the demands of life. While some species are born "hard-wired" to
operate maturely as soon as they enter life, human beings require
practice. Nature provides a crocodile with all the necessary capacities
to survive as soon as they are born. For all practical purposes a
newborn crocodile is an adult crocodile, just smaller. In contrast,
human beings require complex exchanges between nature and nurture over
decades of experience to cultivate mature capacities. Of the full
territory of being human, the majority of life is intrinsically tied to
skills that are learned and refined through repeated practice over a
diverse range of faculties.
Practice is, at its center, engagement. When you practice you engage the various faculties that the chosen activity requires. The more you engage, the more prepared you become. When you took your first steps in life and began walking you most likely balanced tentatively, teetered and fell. Often. But with practice, as you engaged the activity of walking over and over, you became increasingly more competent, more proficient and ultimately more elegant to move about in the world and meet the demands of your life.
From About Strength to Awaken: An Integral Guide to Strength Training, Performance and Spiritual Practice for Men and Women by Rob McNamara.
Practice is, at its center, engagement. When you practice you engage the various faculties that the chosen activity requires. The more you engage, the more prepared you become. When you took your first steps in life and began walking you most likely balanced tentatively, teetered and fell. Often. But with practice, as you engaged the activity of walking over and over, you became increasingly more competent, more proficient and ultimately more elegant to move about in the world and meet the demands of your life.
From About Strength to Awaken: An Integral Guide to Strength Training, Performance and Spiritual Practice for Men and Women by Rob McNamara.
