It’s nice to have a Beowulf around to help
Strength and strong have always danced in two directions. Yes, as a person who lifts weights, the quality of strong is reflected in the amount on the barbell, kettlebell, dumbbell, or other inventions for progressing load. Basically, most of the time, if you lift X but I lift 2X, I am strongER than you. And good for me.
There is another tradition of strength that seems to be more popular lately. This tradition takes the concept that strength is a kind of endurance; strength is (also) the ability to withstand pressures of all kinds. We see this in the endurance of Nelson Mandela or in the trials of any oppressed people who continue, against odds, to fight the fight. We nod to our long-suffering friend and note that they have “the Patience of Job.” When we see the Marathoner or triathlete stumbling towards the finish line with no reserves left in their body, the announcer comments on the strength of the will.
If we turn our reading back two millennia, we might note that the superstars of the past were both strong and enduring. Achilles may have had his heel, but Odysseus had his will to return home. Samson’s strength was no secret: some dietary restrictions and flowing locks of hair. For the record, I tried this method, and I still can’t bring down a building by pushing the pillars. Hercules performed great feats of strength and endurance while Theseus, inferior in physical stature, used his strong mind to defeat opponents.
Truly, a strong mind combined with strength and endurance is an ideal combination.
With the rise of comic books during the Depression and World War II, strength became a sales asset. Whether one is born with it, like Superman, or developed it, like Batman, or were transformed by accident or science, like our friends Spiderman and Captain American, the ability to punch, push, whack, and thwap became part of Western culture and then spread about the planet. Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel remind us that these powers are not limited by gender.
Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf gives us the “why” in the question “why is strength important:”
So every elder and experienced councilman
among my people supported my resolve
to come here to you, King Hrothgar,
because all knew of my awesome strength.
They had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies
when I battled and bound five beasts,
raided a troll-next and in the night-sea
slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered extremes
and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it
upon themselves, I devastated them).
Now I mean to be a match for Grendel,
settle the outcome in single combat.
If we have an issue with beasts, trolls, sea-brutes, or enemies, it’s nice to have a Beowulf around to help.
Obviously, when things go badly, it’s nice to have a blend of strength and endurance. Television and movies often use the apocalyptic image for showing the needs of physical prowess to survive. True, The Road and The Walking Dead additionally ask many other questions about the human experience in survival situations but, generally, it seems to help survive if you arrive at the situation with some physical and mental gifts.
And I also know this: when someone has a couch that needs to be moved, I tend to get a telephone call. Strength seems to be very valuable in moving things around a home.
Continue reading the next discourse in the series: Strength is, and remains, foundational
Dan John is a Senior Lecturer at Saint Mary’s University in Twickenham, England. He has been lifting since 1965 and has won national championships in the discus throw, Olympic lifting, Highland Games and the Weight Pentathlon. He recently was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from Great Britain for his contributions in this field. A Fulbright Scholar, he has a vast experience in scholarship, academics, and athletics. His published works include bestsellers such as Never Let Go, Mass Made Simple, and Intervention (among a dozen other published works). He is the grandfather to three and continues to write, coach, train, and lecture to practically every fitness and performance level.