Icarus(Ἴκαρος)–Competitive Bodybuilding, Chasing the Sun

木心《文学回忆录中》写到:
弥诺陶洛斯，象征欲望。建筑师代达罗斯，即制造迷楼者，象征制定伦理、制度、道德、条例者。迷楼，象征社会，监囚人，人不得出，包括婚姻、法律、契约。在社会中，人进入店，见食物，不能拿，因没有钱，拿即犯法。动物见食便吃。建筑师也出不来，作法自毙。唯一的办法是飞。飞出迷楼。艺术家，天才，就是要飞。然而飞高，狂而死。青年艺术家不懂，像伊卡洛斯，飞高而死，他的父亲是老艺术家，懂。我曾为文，将尼采、托尔斯泰、拜伦，都列入飞出的伊卡洛斯。但伊卡洛斯的性格，宁可飞高，宁可摔死。一定要飞出迷楼，靠艺术的翅膀。宁可摔死。欲望，是要关起来，现代迷楼，更难飞出，需要更大的翅膀。

Icarus and his father Daedalus were prisoners of King Minos, the tyrant of Crete. Minos had hired Daedalus to build a labyrinth to confine the Minotaur, a hybrid of man and bull. Daedalus and Icarus were also locked in the labyrinth, with no way out from the maze or the island.

Daedalus, who was a genius inventor and engineer, came up with a plan to escape. He collected feathers from the birds and attached them with wax, making two sets of wings. He gave one set to his son and taught him how to fly. He also warned him not to ignore his advice, for they were flying by a fragile balance. He said: “My son, do not fly too high, or the sun will melt your wings. Nor fly too low, or the sea will wet your feathers. Follow me and be careful.”
They put on their wings and flew into the sky, leaving behind the labyrinth and the island. They flew over the sea, admiring the wonders of nature. Icarus was thrilled and amazed, but also proud and curious. He wanted to explore more of the world and to challenge himself. He disregarded his father’s words and flew higher and higher, nearing the sun.

The sun’s heat was too much for his wings. The wax that held them together started to melt and his feathers dropped off one by one. He realized his mistake and called out to his father for help, but it was too late. He fell into the sea and drowned.
Daedalus heard his son’s cries and looked back. He saw his son’s wings floating on the water and his body disappearing into the depths. He sobbed for his son and blamed his own invention. He landed on a close island and buried his son’s remains. He named the island Icaria after him. The sea where Icarus fell was also called the Icarian Sea in his tribute.

Back to 2023, everyone. I’m a fitness enthusiast and today I want to discuss with you a topic that is Icarus–Competitive Bodybuilding, Chasing the Sun. This topic is something I recently learned in the bodybuilding circle, about some bodybuilders who resort to various banned drugs and hormones to gain an edge in competitions. These drugs can bulk their muscles and enhance their performance, but they also inflict irreversible damage on their bodies and minds. They are like Icarus in Greek mythology, who wanted to fly higher and closer, but didn’t realize that his wings had been melted by the sun. Some examples of bodybuilders who used drugs are Rich Piana, who died of a heart attack at age 46 after years of steroid abuse, Ronnie Coleman, who underwent multiple surgeries and became wheelchair-bound after pushing his body to the limit with steroids, and Jo Lindner, who died of an aneurysm at age 30 after using various substances.(R.I.P)
I was deeply touched by this topic. I’m also someone who values fitness and beauty, and I’ve also had the aspiration of wanting to quickly gain muscle and lose fat. But I’ve never considered using drugs to achieve my goals. I think fitness is a lifestyle, a way of honoring yourself and others. Fitness is not for other people’s approval, but for your own health and happiness. Fitness is not a shortcut, but a commitment and effort. Fitness doesn’t resemble a mindset of vanity, but displays the sportsmanship of confidence , fairness and pride.
I hope that through this topic, I can alert those bodybuilding amateurs who are using or intending to use drugs. You may think you are witted, powerful, and high-achieving. But you are actually pathetic, foolish, and failed. You not only harm yourself, but also harm your family and friends. You not only stain the spirit of bodybuilding, but also ruin the fairness of natural bodybuilding. You not only waste your life, but also betray your dreams.
I also hope through discussing this topic, I can inspire and support bros who are striving for fitness. You may think you are hard, boring, and helpless. But you are actually charming, interesting, and meaningful. You use your sweat and effort to sculpt your body and soul. You use your belief and action to accomplish your goals and values. You use your beauty and charm to influence and inspire the people around you. You are the real Icarus–Competitive Bodybuilding, Chasing the Sun.

Many bodybuilders, who pursue both physical and artistic excellence, follow the tragic path of Icarus and ruin themselves by flying too close to the sun. In the real world, there are also people who are trapped in the nostalgia of their childhood, people who lose their vitality in their prime, and people who dwell in remorse for their whole life.