Life is at its highest when it bursts with vitality, when the body is strong and each day is met beneath the open sun and beside the endless sea. Greatness arises from an overflowing abundance of life. Yukio Mishima sought a similar unity of beauty and action. Mike Mentzer, in his own way, pursued the same ideal through relentless self overcoming, the cultivation of physical strength is an expression of reason, will, and human potential. “One day, it occurred to me to set about cultivating my orchard for all I was worth. For my purpose, I used sun and steel. Unceasing sunlight and implements fashioned of steel became the chief elements in my husbandry.” In that lies a philosophy, the self as an orchard to be cultivated through exposure to reality rather than retreat from it. Sun and steel become the symbols of vitality, light, struggle, discipline, and growth. Whether in Nietzsche’s call to become who one is, Mishima’s pursuit of beauty through action, or Mentzer’s dedication to physical excellence, one comes to the same conclusion. To live fully is to embrace the world, to welcome challenge, and to shape oneself into something worthy of the sun under which one stands. #mishima #nietzsche #fyp #philosophy #raypeat - @pantometis