Let loose a hungry tiger and watch a man run for his life. There is no greater beauty than the intensity of effort he makes in that moment of desperation. In such times all of the ordinary divisions in us, which usually keep our attention distracted and spread like thin peanut butter, vanish and yield in their stead a formidable force of will. His concentration piques and heightens his every sense, while his mind and heart hone on the sheer necessity of doing what he must with not an ounce of his ability left in reserve.

What could be done through human effort if our psychology were to be reconciled by a singular aim? When there are moments where options are unavailable and effort alone is necessary, with time pressing down our backs and creeping up our nerves, reality meets potential. Or so the possibility exists for potential to be met by an intent which is unabashed and uncomprosing in reaching for a target. The old poets sing sonnets of how nature and the gods themselves bend their knees and reach down to men who muster up such momentum.

To be human is to be susceptible to corruption. Our singularity is a myth and our multiplicty the de facto state of existence. A child is born with such qualities as utter pliability, influenced by the ever changing winds of hunger, fear and procreation. He is recognized as a sensible man only when these animal desires are satisfied. Above this layer exist the myriad of tiny interests which form the fragmented personality he calls from one moment to the next as ‘I’. It is from such a starting point he begins the age where stubble bristles his face.

What is beautiful, admirable and worthy of attention is when an effort arises in one exceptional moment; which is characterized as uncompromising, incorruptible and resolute. The popular phrase nowadays, ‘Eye of the Tiger’, refers to such a state of psychological singularity, where no inner or outer voice or influence can hope to sabotage or dissuade the miracle of effort a man actualizes in the face of reality herself.

Wonderous is it to witness how he strides beyond the mediocre with such ease as his entire being comes together in near unity. Our interest towards such timeless manifestations must grow and we must tire of any efforts which are sluggish, lazy and half-steeped. This may bring us towards a steady state of deep disatisfaction. Good! For what we see in the past, and less so in the present, is a hearty precision which humans conveyed through their crafts and arts. It is a quality which needs to be unceasingly bolstered and unrelentingly pampered for it to exist actively in these busy modern days.

What matters in the world is excellence, no matter what others may encoruage or say about simply ‘being’ and ‘accepting’ yourself as you are. These self-indulgent attitudes lead to deafness and blindness, no matter how softly spoken they are. The magnificence of striving beyond our limits in the direction of plain and simple accomplishments, which are otherwised looked or stepped over, will lead to opportunities where a man’s development matches the task at hand. There is a design above us all, and it listens and responds only to the extra-ordinary.