[P. J.] [RU] [FR]

The Triad of Swimming

Sport swimming is opposite to the skill of swimming, like the latter is opposite to inability to swim. A person can swim if he can move on the water towards a definite goal without striking any obstacles or becoming an obstacle for the others. In sport swimming styles, however, the intellectual element is reduced to minimum, since everything should serve to a silly competition in rapidity, with no reference to people's practical needs. The ability to swim is bound to degrade under the artificial conditions of sport swimming pools, with separated tracks, no obstacles, no waves or wind, where there is no need to always monitor the changes in the situation. A sportsman does not care for where to swim; he/she stupidly moves his arms and legs just to rush in the same pre-defined direction. He is not interested in what happens around, he only feels his own breath. As a result, when a sport inclined character enters the waters on a public beach, people have to dash aside from that idiot who cannot make evolutions with care. Sport swimming styles are essentially unfit for a natural environment, and those who are taught that kind of swimming do not acquire a habit of swimming in a human way, like a being of reason. One could observe many times, how such sport swimmers lost themselves in a rough sea, or in other non-trivial situations.

This reaffirms the danger of over-adaptation and the necessity of a thoughtful approach in teaching any human activities. A person should never become a robot, even with the prospect of immediate benefit or super-profit. Let it be less, but better. Let it be imperfect, but directed by reason.


[Assorted Notes] [Unism]