Until recently, I could not accurately describe what I love about parkour and capoeira. But after some study of personal expressiveness, flow, and intrinsic motivation, I think I have found a plausible reason:
It is postulated that we are capable of achieving eudaimonia, a state in which we are enjoying the development of specific potentialities that we value.
This is not hedonism; it is not the pursuit of pleasure that inspires parkour, although it does induce pleasure (the best things in life also feel amazing).
So why do some choose parkour as opposed to other sports that may be more socially acceptable?
The reason is the significance we place (unintentionally, that is to say, an uncontrived sense of significance, which is an indication of a person's true self) upon the element of specific potentialities. Parkour (and capoeira) places primary emphasis on potentialities such as balance, agility, strength, fluidity, mental and physical flow, bodily and spatial awareness, etc. If a person views these things as fundamentally attractive, then they will be drawn to the sport.
I suppose this is obvious to some, but I tend to find myself doubting my own reasons and motives for training parkour or capoeira.
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What is it about Parkour that makes it worth doing? I ask myself that question sometimes...
I see the fluidity, the symmetry, the beauty of it, however, sometimes it is about something more...rebellious.
Sometimes your body just has to move. Sometimes you just have to break all the rules.
When the World is lying naked before you, and the Open Roads are beckoning, there is nothing to stop you.
Your feet hit the turf, they smack the pavement, they seek the ledges, your fingers stretch for the windows, the edges, the lines, the rails, the casements, the cracks, and the extreme boundaries.
This is the World of Freedom. Nothing can stop you here. Here, your body is pushed to do the unimaginable. Here, there are no rules. There are no limitations. No pretensions, no lies; no realities but the ones you carve for yourself.
The packed snow is an easel for your board; ready to expose the truth, reveal your skill, test your courage.
The stone edifice rising before you is not an obstacle, it is an opportunity.
There are no closed roads, no barriers in the path, and no restrictions.
The World is your Playground.
So well said, I feel my body shiver with anticipation. It has been a long minute since the last time I have tried, and I miss it quite badly.
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