{"id":38489,"date":"2022-04-01T07:57:25","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T22:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clumsy.site\/en\/?p=38489"},"modified":"2022-10-28T09:52:32","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T00:52:32","slug":"am-i-still-in-section-37-%eb%82%98%eb%8a%94-%ec%95%84%ec%a7%81-37%ea%b5%ac%ec%97%ad%ec%97%90-%ec%9e%88%eb%8a%94%ea%b0%80-by-jiho-kim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clumsy.site\/en\/blog-am-i-still-in-section-37-%eb%82%98%eb%8a%94-%ec%95%84%ec%a7%81-37%ea%b5%ac%ec%97%ad%ec%97%90-%ec%9e%88%eb%8a%94%ea%b0%80-by-jiho-kim\/","title":{"rendered":"Am I still in Section 37? by Jiho Kim"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t\t\t\"Harvard\n\tAm I still in Section 37?
\n\ub098\ub294 \uc544\uc9c1 37\uad6c\uc5ed\uc5d0 \uc788\ub294\uac00?\n\tText by Jiho Kim \uae40\uc9c0\ud638
\nTranslation by Irene Song \uae40\uc194\ud558\n\t\t\t\t\"Georges\n\t

The true Natural Method, in its broadest sense, must be considered as the result of these three particular forces; it is a physical, virile and moral synthesis. It resides not only in the muscles and the breath, but above all in the “energy” which is used, the will which directs it and the feeling which guides it.\u00a0 –\u00a0<\/em>Georges H\u00e9bert<\/p>\n\t

In the history of parkour, there is a man who first saw individual freedom in relation to social value. Georges H\u00e9bert was a physical educator and an officer in the French Navy who had been influenced by Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Naturalism. While he had seen the naval forces onboard suffer from physical deterioration, he had been observing indigenous tribes in Africa. He witnessed their outstanding physical abilities, such as throwing spears over long distances, swiftly climbing trees and cliffs, and jumping over streams and said,\u00a0“Their bodies were splendid, flexible, nimble, skillful, enduring, resistant and yet they had no other tutor in gymnastics but their lives in nature.”\u00a0Inspired by this observation, H\u00e9bert completes a physical fitness program that promotes physical development through freehand exercises without assisting equipment.<\/p>\n

During the time, H\u00e9bert had also solidified his belief of ‘Natural Method(La M\u00e9thode Naturelle)’ and the story goes as follows. In 1902, there was a volcanic eruption in the French ruled Martinique island, so H\u00e9bert and the naval forces were sent to rescue the victims. In this dramatic event, he saw people who would push each other to get on the ship, fighting for survival, and there were also people who would sacrifice themselves; a father for a daughter, a mother for a son, yielding for somebody else to survive. The result showed that altruistic actions led to higher rates of survival. Once he witnessed this, H\u00e9bert realized that in a disaster or radical situation, altruistic actions are much more effective to overcome a crisis. And such actions cannot come naturally, it requires courage, mental and physical strength. His ethos was evolved into his personal motto, “Be strong to be useful(\u00eatre fort pour \u00eatre utile)”<\/p>\n

This spirit became the core value of H\u00e9bert’s Natural Method, and it was passed on to the next generation Yamakasi group members as the parkour philosophy of altruism. Sometimes, one wonders if the notions of egoism and altruism are actually in contrast to each other. From H\u00e9bert’s approach, we learn that individual ‘strength’ can expand to being ‘useful’, and again, being useful is helping yourself, so one can discover the moment when helping others\u00a0is\u00a0<\/i>actually helping yourself.\u00a0Laozi of the Warring States period tried to overcome the limits of dichotomy which humans easily fall for, by explaining the world filled with war and chaos, as existence and nonexistence, and further understanding the natural order of the universe as ‘tao’ which is the principle of the synergy of existence and nonexistence. Once we are trapped in a binary oppositional paradigm, individuals and society will become ill. What we considered to be opposing each other may all be connected, forming one big whole.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"Harry\n\t\t\t\t\"Bill\n\t

Before I fully understood this motto of ‘Be strong to be useful,’ I used to repeat the phrase as a mantra since it seemed cool. Then there were some occasions when I could actually experience this motto and deeply connect with its meaning. Here is an example. I was participating in the Parkour instructor certification program in Boston, U.S., in 2014. That day was the last of five days of ‘ADAPT Level 2’ on the 24th\u00a0of September. The members convened at 9 am at the Harvard Stadium, and a peculiar vibe was in the air. The Harvard Stadium is an American football stadium owned and operated by Harvard University, built in 1903, which was inspired by the ancient Roman arena. Running the steps of this Stadium became known world-wide after Harry Parker and Bill Cleary trained themselves and their teams on these steps for decades. In the 1970s and 80s, Parker was a legendary rowing athlete and coach, and Cleary was a hockey player and coach. Since then, the step running became more well known due to Boston marathoners, climbers, fitness enthusiasts who joined the steps, as well as baby-boomers who began walking up the steps slowly as an anti-age health campaign.<\/p>\n

The Harvard Stadium consists of 37 sections with each section made of 31 steps. As a whole, these 37 sections form a horseshoe shape. When you run on these steps, you would go up the big steps which are 15 inches (approx. 38.1cm) high, 30 inches (76.2cm) wide. There are diverse challenging activities possible on the steps, and the following four types are the most popular.<\/p>\n