240 without a net, Vick 2.0

Today I benched 240lbs for the first time in a long time, probably two years at least if not longer.  I did not call over a spotter for the attempt. Although foolish, I do this for two reasons.   Not having a spotter pumps a few more drops of adrenalin into your system, not having a spotter makes me feel more committed  and motivated to complete the lift. Failure equals an embarrassing call for help.  Second, many spotters are overzealous.  As soon as they see you struggle in the least they grab the bar which totally invalidates the lift in my book.  I struggled getting the weight up there but it got there.

At the gym I talked to my buddy who is also a huge Eagles fan.  Of course we talked about the Vick deal.  He had a bit of a different perspective on the situation.  When he was younger he had a multitude of drug and alcohol problems and was a self described “asshole”.  He turned sober 15 years ago and has been a changed person ever since, totally different than the crazed lunatic he was under the influence of drugs.  Based on his personal experience he is willing to give Vick a chance. 

Of course he thought what Vick did was shameful and criminal just as everyone else does.  But he is willing to give the guy a chance to show the world he has changed, not by saying anything but by what he does.  Let’s see if two years in the slammer, being shamed in front of the world and having his personal fortune erased has truly reforged the core of what he is all about.  I have to admit, I am not quite as outraged as I was 12 hours ago.  He wil be basically walking the high wire the rest of his life with no net.

Even though my anger has cooled somewhat I find myself getting very annoyed with the opinions of some fans that are supporting the move using the comparison to Donte Stallworth who killed someone while driving drunk.  The statements these people make all go somewhat like this ” What Vick did was terrible but come on, these were ONLY dogs. What Stallworth did was MUCH worse because it was a human being that died”  I can only speak for myself but I don’t rate my life as significantly more important than an animals.  Human beings perception of importance is self created, not ordained.