Get Tougher-Like the Kalenjin!

There is a scene in the movie, “Too Big To Fail” in which an actor portraying former Goldman Sachs CEO Loyd Feinstein and an associate are walking into The Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The associate expressing anxiety and fear over the looming meeting to try to save the global economy expresses his paralyzing fear.

The Feinstein character says, “Relax. You’re getting out of a Mercedes SL walking into the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. You’re not storming Omaha Beach.” [sic]

This struck me as very profound for how we look at our  struggles and suffering today. What we consider great trials and tribulations pale in comparison to what generations before us have contended with. It has left us with a society of soft, weak ill equipped humans crippled with every crisis.

You, like me, are probably not near as tough as you could be. You, however, like me, are probably much tougher than you think you are. But how can we know? The answer is simple. We must push ourselves to find out.

We live in a comfortable mostly 72 degree climate controlled war. If you are reading this, the chances of you ever having to fight a war, hunt for your food, run instead of drive to a desired location and lift incredibly heavy objects are minimal. 

You will, however, most likely have to make very hard decisions. You will have to push your cognitive abilities to levels outside your comfort zone. You will have to fire people, hire people, make tough buying choices, lose loved ones, have children disappoint you. All of these things necessitate toughness.

So what do we do? Do we rely on politicians and the redefining of social norms taking place in this country to somehow bend the will of the universe to never ask too much of us, hurt our feelings and allow us to be disappointed? That’s one strategy. It’s dumb. It leads to a life of misery, depression and a heightened chance of suicide, but it’s a strategy.

I have a better solution. Get tougher. 

How do you make yourself tougher?

The answer is pretty straight forward. You put yourself in situations that are uncomfortable situations that require you to exercise grit and perseverance. You are most likely going to have to simulate these situations because as I described earlier you are most likely not going to be asked to take the field and defend the castle. 

Many people think physical training is only beneficial to the physical body. They’d be wrong. Study after study has shown physical training increases mood, memory and ability to handle stress. There’s a reason why throughout history cultures and societies have used physical training, painful physical training, as a means to build mental toughness.

A Look at The Kalenjin Tribe of Kenya, Producer of the Most Marathon Champions on Earth

Elly Kipgogei, 19, remembers going through the ceremony at age 15.

First, he says, he had to crawl mostly naked through a tunnel of African stinging nettles. Then he was beaten on the bony part of the ankle, then his knuckles were squeezed together, and then the formic acid from the stinging nettle was wiped onto his genitals.But all that was just warm-up; early one morning he was circumcised, with a sharp stick.

 

During this whole process — the crawling, the beatings and the cutting — Kipgogei was obliged to be absolutely stoical, unflinching.

He could not make a sound.

 

Indeed, in some versions of this ceremony, mud is caked on the face and then the mud is allowed to dry. If a crack appears in the mud — your cheek may twitch, your forehead may crinkle — you get labeled a kebitet — a coward — and stigmatized by the whole community.

Manners says that this enormous social pressure placed on your ability to endure pain is actually great training for a sport like running where "pushing through pain" is so fundamental to success.

"Circumcision," he says, "teaches kids to withstand pressure and tolerate pain."

Manners says he thinks there's a distinct advantage conferred on athletic kids who grow up in a pain-embracing society, as opposed to a Western, pain-avoiding one.

It's not a silver bullet. Any athletic success has to be ascribed to a host of factors including body type and diet and socioeconomics and upbringing. Nevertheless, in traditional Kalenjin society, pushing through pain isn't only a desired trait, it's also part of what makes you a man or a woman.

Modernization Of The Kalenjin (NPR, How One Kenyan Tribe Produces The World's Best Runners)

After Kipgogei was circumcised, he wasn't allowed to go home. He was taken to a hut on the outskirts of the village to heal from the operation and he was told, whenever you leave this hut, you are not allowed to walk.

"So you're supposed to run and it's very fast. So you're running very swift, having the pain," he said.

Before the circumcision, Kipgogei was never a runner. Afterward, when he was done with initiation and back in high school, he decided to give it a try.

"So I could run and I'd feel pain. I feel pain. I'm feeling pain and I'd wanted to stop," Kipgogei said. "Then I realized, no. Let me try to persevere. Let me just try. Let me try one more, one more, one more time and two minutes later I'm at school."

Kipgogei is now the fastest runner on his track team. In Kalenjin country, that's pretty fast.

He acknowledges he might have had a natural talent for the sport. His mom was one of the fastest runners in Kalenjin country, back in her day. She, like many Kalenjin girls, went through a painful initiation rite of her own that also demanded stoicism — female genital mutilation.

Manners says that in traditional Kalenjin belief, Kipgogei got two things from his mother. One was physical prowess, his speed on the track. The other was a mental ability to withstand pain.

But Kipgogei is part of a new Kalenjin generation that's challenging old ways of doing things. He says when he has kids, his sons will be circumcised pain-free in a hospital. His daughters won't go through any such procedure at all.

Kipgogei told himself that he can pass on the Kalenjin values without resorting to the ancient rituals.

"I believe perseverance you can get though many ways. Not necessarily through circumcision," he says. "I will teach [my children] how to persevere."

And he says his kids will still be able to be champion runners — if that's what they choose to be.

Another famous story is of the legendary Spartan warriors. If you’ve read Steven Pressfield’s masterpiece, ‘Gates of Fire’ or watched the testosterone inducing film ‘300’ you have most likely heard of the Agoge. So what exactly is the Agoge?

This was a right of passage where young boys would learn the skills that would make the tough and worthy men of Sparta. Around age 7 they were taken from their biological families to live among their Spartan warrior family.

They were subjected to extreme conditions including severe hunger, pain and exhaustion. All of this was geared toward making them stronger both mentally and physically. The toughness of the Spartans is literally a thing of legend.

The Spirit Runners

This example is about “Spirit Runners“, a name given to a group of Apache Indians who would run up to 20 miles a day with a mouthful of water.

So why would they train this way?

First, this symbolized a transition into manhood. It was simply the standard for the male members of the tribe to be able to run for long distances without stopping.

The mouthful of water also kept their mouth from becoming dry, decreased shallow chest breathing and cortisol release, and strengthened willpower.

And another big reason was so that they would have an advantage during a time of war.

When Geronimo and his 39 Apache Spirit Runners were being chased by thousands of American soldiers, they were able to endure for months without being caught.

How did they do it?

They were able to run 80 miles a day.

Another reason they trained themselves to run for long distances without stopping was for endurance (sometimes called cursorial or persistence) hunting. Endurance hunting is when you run longer than the animal you’re chasing, until the animal completely succumbs to fatigue.

For the Apaches, this level of toughness was the norm: it’s what they grew up with, so it became their standard of living.

Toughness is not vanity. Sure, in today’s world of Instagram and other social media we see plenty of ‘brocephus’ douchebags appearing to be tough. However, there’s a reason guys like David Goggins capture so much attention. It is apparent they are mentally as well as physically tough.

Misogi

Misogi is your own personal hell. In misogi you use the artificial, contrived concept of going out and doing a hard task to mimic challenges that human used to face all the time. These challenges that our environment used to naturally show us that we’re so removed from can be simulated to our benefit. 

The thing about misogi is that it’s personal. It’s not about some accomplishment to be posted on the Gram. It’s about you vs. you. The idea is to take a hard challenge and double it and then attack it. For example, if you think you can run 50 miles in a day, try for 100. If you make the 100, cool. Keep it to yourself. 

This is to build your mental strength by stretching your physical strength to the max. 

We are about to begin a new year. Make getting tougher one of your resolutions. We need tough humans now more than ever and they are in shorter and shorter supply. 

Jason Wright is an author, host of The Jason Wright Show podcast and business consultant. Follow him on Instagram @jasonwrightnow.

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