We are all born with a certain set of traits: some are stronger than average, some are smarter than average, or more quick-witted, or situationally aware, or better looking, or more gregarious, or possess stronger willpower. And of course, some people are born with less advantages than others.
Despite the fact that our societal betters are trying their damndest to say otherwise, a child will understand human differences as soon as they go amongst their fellows. And chances are, they’re not going to be at the top of the pack—some of their classmates will undoubtedly be stronger, smarter, better looking, and generally more “with it” then them, and the average kid will likely be somewhere in the middle (going by statistical probabilities).
Adulthood is of course even more cutthroat than the school playground, and after spending 12 years being mediocre in the public school system, the average person will see the metrics between individuals only increase in number as an adult (ie: wealth, careerism, sexuality, and status are added to intelligence, strength, and charm), and, seeing as its likely they won’t come out a genetic lottery winner, the average person will probably just give up at this point—deciding that it is their lot in life to be a glittering mediocrity, and submit to a life of being fat, ignorant, and cloddish, a dumb bellowing beast in human clothing, completely incapable of any greatness or positive effect on the world around them.
After all, they were born shitty, and that sort of thing is set in stone, correct?
And to that I say:
Yes, human traits are etched in stone. A soft stone that can be chiseled and polished to perfection with enough effort and toil. A stone like…marble.
And now you know what the title is referring to:
Marble is of course, not mined looking like Michelangelo’s David. Marble comes out in a solid block and has to be chiseled down into a statuary form, and then polished. The only thing remaining of the original block being the size of the statue, and the base quality of the stone itself.
Similarly, you yourself are born with the genes you have, and certain aspects of your person cannot be changed: you can’t change your height, or your bone structure, or the strength of your eyesight. But traveling in the circles I travel in, I’ve noticed that almost ANY shitty aspect of you can be changed. You can’t change your height or bone structure, but you can fix your skin, your situational awareness, your physical strength, body language, etc. with enough practice.
In fact, the majority of negative traits CAN be fixed, and can be improved upon, even things that would seem to be completely debilitating: and if you don’t believe me, observe this link of a young boy with a various parasitic limbs growing out of his chest.
He got those removed, and I don’t think anyone would argue that his appearance has not greatly improved. Of course, you likely don’t have problems as severe as that, and thus don’t need a five hour surgery to fix your problems.
To cite one example of a problem you might struggle with: do you think you’re ugly? You’re not disfigured, are you? Then you can at least elevate yourself to the level of “okay”-as I’ve said before, you can’t fix the bone structure of your face, but you can clear up your skin, get a flattering haircut, fix your teeth, and either get a tan or dress in a way that complements your fair complexion.
Do people criticize you for being an idiot, or a “space cadet”, or forgetful? You can play Kim’s Game, or other mental training games, or train your willpower to be more reliable with the methods I have detailed.
Physically weak? Get in the gym!
Timid? You can teach yourself how to speak publically, or train yourself to use strong and masculine body language!
And these are just things that I have already taught you to do—there’s a lot more out there, and I’ll get to it eventually. I’m in the men’s blog game for the long haul!
The point I’m trying to make is, some of your flaws are unchangeable burdens that you have no choice but to live with. But the majority of them are things that can be overcome, and improved upon. Just like the block of marble has a certain height and mineral quality, but can be chiseled and polished into a myriad of shapes, a human being has a few base inherent qualities, and the rest is malleable and capable of change.
And that precept, more than anything else, is what this website is dedicated to.