I Challenge You...
I'm not ashamed to admit it: I watched the first two episodes of Kenny vs. Spenny and laughed so hard, I hurt! *
Yes, as a vegan, the "Who Can Eat the Most Meat" episode was vile...but it was also a vomitous riot! And as a vegan, I can appreciate a competition to see who can blow the biggest fart.
But it's more than just a twelve-year-old's sense of humor turned up to 11. To me, it really delves into something deeper inside a lot of guys. We like competition as much as we like taking things apart to see how they work. It's in our nature to do this kind of thing.
I'll go this far with Kenny vs. Spenny: it's actually pretty cerebral from a sociological view.
Gone are the days of guys heading west and finding adventure. Most paths were blazed long ago, and we're forced to wrestle with the responsibility of a real job and satisfying every hormonal and goofy thing that makes us tick. It's only natural for us to think, "Well, I can't blaze a new trail because I have rent or a mortgage to pay, so we satisfy that "urge" by challenging the people we love like brothers.
It's why I will always tease mfelps. It's why I got a call today from my tennis buddy telling me he wrapped his steering wheel in tennis grip tape so every time he puts his hands on his steering wheel, he will focus on defeating me. Without challenges, we don't evolve.
Now granted, there's an argument to be made that seeing who can muster the most raucous fart ranks nowhere near the challenge of curing a disease, but it's partially the same chemical reactions inside us that makes us strive for more. And I'm not talking solely about guys; obviously, women have come up with many brilliant things. (Guys are just more likely to see who can fart the loudest.)
It's cool when you can defeat a good friend at something, but not because you beat them (although bragging rights are tops!). It's cool because it's a perfect environment to push yourself and somebody you care about; win or lose, you have somebody right there who will always push you to be your best.
I recently lost a tennis match to a friend. I would have loved winning that match, but by having a guy nine years my senior school me on the court--he even wore black socks that morning--I had to dig down deep and try my best. I played the best I played in years, and I didn't mind losing (too much :) ). Even when talking smack (in some ways, especially when talking smack), you have to focus and see what you're really made of when you're challenged and pushed beyond what you think you can do.
Contests of the will, especially against somebody you really want to defeat, do several things: they make you try your hardest, they force you to focus and see how you handle pressure, and they make you realize you have more in you than you probably thought.
Even if it's something as stupid as seeing who can blow the biggest fart.
Persistence and endurance are powerful things, and unless challenged, most people will never know what they can truly do.
While this is a stretch, when you know you can spend a day trying to defeat your best friend in a farting contest, you know you have the fortitude to tackle the things that will make you successful.
Ask anybody who knows me, and they'll tell you I'm the most annoying person they know--I can be annoying to the point people want to kill me. But ask the same people if they respect my drive when it transfers to other things, and I think my friends would say I'm one of the most driven people they know.
I challenge everybody reading this to find somebody they like and challenge them to a competition. If one person can't take smack talk, be cool and respect that (I've played tennis with another friend I've never once said anything vaguely goofy to on the court). But decide on a challenge and go at it. Have fun with it and make it a habit. Push each other and never stop!
You may be amazed where something as stupid as a farting contest can take you...
* I know Kenny vs. Spenny's been out for awhile, but I was totally in the dark until last week.
Yes, as a vegan, the "Who Can Eat the Most Meat" episode was vile...but it was also a vomitous riot! And as a vegan, I can appreciate a competition to see who can blow the biggest fart.
But it's more than just a twelve-year-old's sense of humor turned up to 11. To me, it really delves into something deeper inside a lot of guys. We like competition as much as we like taking things apart to see how they work. It's in our nature to do this kind of thing.
I'll go this far with Kenny vs. Spenny: it's actually pretty cerebral from a sociological view.
Gone are the days of guys heading west and finding adventure. Most paths were blazed long ago, and we're forced to wrestle with the responsibility of a real job and satisfying every hormonal and goofy thing that makes us tick. It's only natural for us to think, "Well, I can't blaze a new trail because I have rent or a mortgage to pay, so we satisfy that "urge" by challenging the people we love like brothers.
It's why I will always tease mfelps. It's why I got a call today from my tennis buddy telling me he wrapped his steering wheel in tennis grip tape so every time he puts his hands on his steering wheel, he will focus on defeating me. Without challenges, we don't evolve.
Now granted, there's an argument to be made that seeing who can muster the most raucous fart ranks nowhere near the challenge of curing a disease, but it's partially the same chemical reactions inside us that makes us strive for more. And I'm not talking solely about guys; obviously, women have come up with many brilliant things. (Guys are just more likely to see who can fart the loudest.)
It's cool when you can defeat a good friend at something, but not because you beat them (although bragging rights are tops!). It's cool because it's a perfect environment to push yourself and somebody you care about; win or lose, you have somebody right there who will always push you to be your best.
I recently lost a tennis match to a friend. I would have loved winning that match, but by having a guy nine years my senior school me on the court--he even wore black socks that morning--I had to dig down deep and try my best. I played the best I played in years, and I didn't mind losing (too much :) ). Even when talking smack (in some ways, especially when talking smack), you have to focus and see what you're really made of when you're challenged and pushed beyond what you think you can do.
Contests of the will, especially against somebody you really want to defeat, do several things: they make you try your hardest, they force you to focus and see how you handle pressure, and they make you realize you have more in you than you probably thought.
Even if it's something as stupid as seeing who can blow the biggest fart.
Persistence and endurance are powerful things, and unless challenged, most people will never know what they can truly do.
While this is a stretch, when you know you can spend a day trying to defeat your best friend in a farting contest, you know you have the fortitude to tackle the things that will make you successful.
Ask anybody who knows me, and they'll tell you I'm the most annoying person they know--I can be annoying to the point people want to kill me. But ask the same people if they respect my drive when it transfers to other things, and I think my friends would say I'm one of the most driven people they know.
I challenge everybody reading this to find somebody they like and challenge them to a competition. If one person can't take smack talk, be cool and respect that (I've played tennis with another friend I've never once said anything vaguely goofy to on the court). But decide on a challenge and go at it. Have fun with it and make it a habit. Push each other and never stop!
You may be amazed where something as stupid as a farting contest can take you...
* I know Kenny vs. Spenny's been out for awhile, but I was totally in the dark until last week.