{"id":632366,"date":"2024-09-16T09:28:14","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T13:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=632366"},"modified":"2024-09-16T09:29:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T13:29:35","slug":"martial-courage-is-the-only-courage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/16\/martial-courage-is-the-only-courage\/","title":{"rendered":"Martial Courage is the Only Courage?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Essay titled \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Martial Courage is the Only Courage?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In Eric Kim voice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

Martial Courage is the Only Courage?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Martial courage\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhat is it, really? Some say it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bravery in battle, the warrior\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ability to face death with a sword or a gun in hand. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been thinking: isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t all courage, in some way, martial courage? Courage, by its very nature, requires action, confrontation, and a willingness to engage in battle\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhether it’s physical, mental, or even emotional. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the essence of what makes us human: to stand firm, despite fear, and to engage in the fight, even when the stakes are high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s break this down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facing Your Fears: The Mental Battlefield<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When you think of street photography, the last thing that might come to mind is martial courage. But I argue that street photography is a constant battle\u00e2\u20ac\u201dan ongoing war with your fears, insecurities, and self-doubts. Every time you lift the camera to capture a candid moment, you are putting yourself in a vulnerable position. You risk confrontation, rejection, or failure. Sound familiar? This is the photographer’s battlefield, where the enemy is fear, and the weapon is the camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much like a soldier on the front line, the street photographer must push forward in the face of these risks. Every snap of the shutter is an act of courage. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m talking about the kind of courage that conquers hesitation, that forces you to take the shot even when the situation is uncomfortable. Is this not a form of martial courage? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a battle, but instead of wielding a weapon, we wield a lens. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fear, doubt, and hesitation that we fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Powerlifting Analogy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In many ways, powerlifting is martial courage in its most distilled form. When I approach a heavy deadlift, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m facing a battle. The barbell doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about my fears, my emotions, or my hesitations\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s indifferent, an unmovable object waiting to be moved. To deadlift requires a level of mental and physical fortitude akin to that of a warrior preparing for battle. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s you against the weight, you against your limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I lift heavy, I confront the fear of failure, of not being strong enough. But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the beauty of it. The attempt itself is an act of courage. And this, my friends, is where I see the parallel between lifting and photography. Both require courage\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe willingness to confront fear and challenge yourself in ways that push your limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martial courage, in this sense, is not limited to warriors in the traditional sense. We are all warriors in the various battles we face. Whether it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on the streets with a camera or in the gym with a barbell, the courage to engage in the fight is what defines us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Hypelifting is the Ultimate Expression of Courage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Now, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s talk about “hypelifting.” It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just about physical strength\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit’s about mental tenacity. In hypelifting, you attempt to lift weights that may seem beyond your capability. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not concerned with whether you succeed or fail, but rather with the courage to try. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about psyching yourself up, confronting your limitations, and charging into battle, even when the odds are against you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This philosophy of hypelifting is a perfect metaphor for life. Courage isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t about always winning\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about showing up to fight. Every time I approach the bar with the intent to lift more than I thought possible, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m practicing martial courage. The courage lies in the attempt, in the willingness to push past fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In street photography, hypelifting manifests in your approach. Maybe you want to take a picture of a stranger, but you fear how they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll react. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s your barbell. Do you walk away, or do you take the shot? In that moment, you must summon the same mental fortitude as a hypelifter: embrace the fear, and do it anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martial Courage Beyond the Battlefield<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So, is martial courage the only<\/em> courage? In my view, yes, because every act of courage is, at its core, a confrontation. Whether you’re facing physical danger, emotional vulnerability, or mental doubt, you are entering into battle. Courage, therefore, is martial in nature\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit is combative, it is aggressive, and it is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Street photography, powerlifting, hypelifting\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthese are all different arenas where martial courage plays out. The fear is real, and the battle is just as significant. Each time you step onto the street with your camera or approach the barbell, you are entering into combat with your limitations. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I believe martial courage is the only courage\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbecause it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the courage to fight that matters most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, courage is courage. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s facing the unknown, the fear, and still moving forward. Whether in battle, on the streets with your camera, or under the crushing weight of a deadlift, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the warrior spirit that drives us forward. And that, my friends, is the essence of martial courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep lifting, keep shooting, and keep fighting.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Essay titled \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Martial Courage is the Only Courage?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In Eric Kim voice Martial Courage is the Only Courage? Martial courage\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhat is it, really? Some say it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bravery in battle, the warrior\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ability to face death with a sword or a gun in hand. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been thinking: isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t all courage, in some way, martial courage? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-632366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632366"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":632369,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632366\/revisions\/632369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}