Getting Punched in the Face is the Only Thing that Ever Made Sense to Me.

We all need to get punched in the face from time to time.  I’m a firm believer.  Imagine all those times you obliviously crossed the street while texting, and car nearly flattened you because you weren’t paying attention.  The zombieishness of your social networking ability to carry on two tasks simultaneously nearly cost you your life, but rather than stopping to acknowledge it, you proceeded to finish your text message and cross the street.  Let’s admit we’re all a bit at fault of being morons.  I’ll admit it.  Your turn…

Chris Romulo Shadowboxing in Battery Park, NYC - Photo by Bauzen

I personally don’t want to punch you in the face, but sometimes we have to punch ourselves.  Since our bodies can’t contort to those positions organically, I’ve confined in Muay Thai for many years; a sport that transformed me from an angry kid into the person I am today.  It’s not something I turned to as an outlet for anger, but rather a means to let go of that emotion entirely.  I haven’t been truly angry in about 5 years because I quickly discovered anger is a counterproductive emotion.  You can get mad when someone steps on your Nike’s or you can take a step back, reset, and approach the problem rationally.  Anger clouds judgement and complicates whatever situation reality serves you.  Having a short memory in the face of a less-than-pleasant situation in is the best way to push forward appropriately.  That goes for boxing as much as it does office work and personal relationships.

While I haven’t trained or competed in longer than I care to remember, I’ve been around the sport for the past 5-6 years as a photographer.  I can still relate to fighters’ pain, celebrate their victories with them as though they were my own, and rejoice in the beauty of a sport where people test themselves on a daily basis, subsequently growing as individuals.  Each person that steps into the ring is a winner regardless of the fight’s outcome.  They’ve made extreme sacrifices and put in months of excruciating labor that non-athletes can’t imagine.  They’ve cried in the shower; they’ve vomited after some of their workouts… Having their hand raised after a fight is only a bonus at that point.  People ask what my fascination is with a sport this brutal, but it’s the real world that’s cruel & disheartening; what we see in the ring is the only truth and triumph I understand from a tangible perspective.

The duration of my relationship with the Muay Thai has introduced me to the best friends I’ve ever had and a girlfriend more loving than I ever knew existed.  It’s the reason I continue to follow the sport and do my part to help it grow.  There isn’t a sense of entitlement where so many other combat sports have failed.  The prize money isn’t substantial either.  If you’re looking to get rich, there are less painful ways of going about it.  Consequently, a financially sustainable career path within the realm of Muay Thai photography rarely materializes from shooting this sport.  Plainly, we do it because we love it.

Rami Ibrahim mentally preparing for a fight - Photo by Bauzen

The ability is within everyone to dig into their primal instincts.  It may not be fighting, it might be getting out and riding a bike, even running.  It’s alone time to clear your head from the negativity that keeps you from attaining your goals.  You might not be able to perform like a champion every day of your life, but you can get closer every day you try…  Sports aren’t something most adults engage in as they rarely see the value.  The people I worked with in banking would wake up, come to work, go home, and go to bed.  There wasn’t time in their day reserved for challenging themselves beyond the bare minimum.  When I discussed boxing with them as a passion of mine, and specifically how I was excited to enroll into my health benefits to enable my return to the sport, they automatically got the wrong idea.  For the most part I kept it to myself, much like the remainder of my personal life.  Something I shouldn’t have to do anywhere.

“The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear – fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable.  What he wants above everything else is safety.”  ~Henry Louis Mencken

This weekend marks another chapter of my relationship with the sport I love as I board a bus to Atlantic City, NJ to support my friend Jay Matias who is making his pro debut as a professional Thai Boxer at BALLY’S for TaKe-On productions.  Also on the card are dozens of people I’ve admired watching over the past six years.  Some will win, others will lose, but all of them will inspire countless onlookers in person (& via live webcast) to strive harder in their daily lives.  It’s what the sport has always been about.  These are everyday people who push themselves hard and find meaning in fighting that can’t be communicated in a textbook of self-discovery from Barnes & Nobles.  They fight for their families, themselves, each other, but most importantly, they fight because they want to.  Whatever we try to accomplish in life is something we have to struggle with if we want to succeed.  You can’t trust anything that comes easy, nor can you abandon your dreams the moment you trip over a hurdle.  Those hurdles are there to make you stronger and leaping over them proves your worth as an individual.

Destry Dalrymple's hand raised by trainer Thiago Azeredo - Photo by Bauzen

This marks the end of the first week of my unemployment.  I’ve since de-cluttered my apartment to inspire productivity, exercised every day, eaten healthy, and been contacted by the New York Times about this this blog.  More details about that will be revealed next week, but I look forward to the near future and the potential of exciting things to come.  I’m glad I’ve started this transitional period energetically and enthusiastically.  I’m confident I can maintain the momentum.

Every day presents new opportunities and I’m happy I finally have the time to go after each & every one.