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Train Wreck Or Car Wreck?

Pete Huryk

Given the choice, would you rather be in a train wreck or a car wreck? I’ve asked some friends and acquaintances this very question and the results are pretty mixed with regards to these two choices but invariably someone will say, “I don’t want to do either.” In my estimation, that is the smartest answer. Choosing not to live through trauma and pain is a smart and easy decision when we think of the physical. There is no way to truly compare train wrecks and car wrecks but in general terms, train wrecks are public and involve a large number of people. Car wrecks are usually less public and involve fewer people.

In our reality TV world, there are multiple examples of human “train wrecks”. We seem almost obsessed with finding the people that are as close to the bottom of the barrel of humanity as possible. It is a disturbing reality that the public at large desires to see other people who are “worse” than they are. Depending on your particular preference, you can watch the unfortunate life of teenage mothers, millionaires’ wives, possible youth beauty queens, youth cheerleaders and the list goes on and on. At the end of that half hour, it is easy to feel vastly superior to that person’s “train wreck” of a life.

The problem is that often the people watching have a life that is a “car wreck” but through comparison feel pretty good now. Their life is not as bad or as public as the “train wreck”. So rather than striving to live the best life possible, we seem to insist upon finding the examples of those who are worse off than us. The comparison model does us little good, especially when the subjects of the comparison set the bar so low.

This does not just relate to the TV world but the classroom. Have you ever felt badly about the grade that you got on a quiz or test until you looked at your neighbor’s paper to see a lower grade? Rather than measuring yourself against what is possible, you measure yourself against what makes you feel better about your current situation. It’s a foolish strategy to employ because it lulls you into being comfortable with less than who you truly are.

So if your life is a wreck, don’t look for someone with a worse life. Pick up the pieces, heal your wounds and get back on the road.

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The Rocky Steps (Part I)

Pete Huryk

IMG_0589The Philadelphia Museum of Art and its steps are iconic but not completely for the art inside the building. The steps are known to Philadelphia visitors as “The Rocky Steps.” Many runners follow in the footsteps of Sylvester Stallone’s underdog character every day. During my recent visit to Philadelphia, I ran from my hotel to the Rocky Steps in order to climb them and take the iconic victory pose. It’s a beautiful run with a long distance view of your destination.

Although the steps are a victory, they are not THE victory. They are really more of a milestone. The steps and the pose are a place to forecast the future. Rocky did not win the title at the top of those steps. However from that higher plain, he was able to see himself victorious for a moment despite his very long odds. It is something we all need at times. The moment of clarity that allows us to see ourselves at our absolute best possible moment. In your daily life it is easy to get swept up in all of the reasons why you can’t achieve something. You’re too lazy, too slow, too dumb, too poor, too ugly… The Rocky Steps can be a place to rise above all of that because it is a place where underdogs can feel hopeful.

Based on what I saw, dozens of people climb those steps every day. They are looking for that same small victory, to forecast their future success. But they don’t need the steps; they need the vision. The steps are just a nice background for the moment. You can get that clarity right now, wherever you are. You don’t need to go to Philadelphia and run the steps to get that vision. It’s somewhere within you now.