So again, in my post, I will start out with the health issues that I have endured and am enduring that have hindered and disabled me from, not only pursuing my dreams to the fullest, but also have taken away a lot of my gifts and the hard work that I had put in. But hopefully that is temporary. I do my best to try to help others through my experience, but in my heart I know that no other man has went through. I can not explain the suffering which goes to the point of torture that I deal with on a daily basis. I have had to have infinite patience, strength that no man should have and grace to endure what no man has or should have to.
With that being said, I've learned a lot about identity. About character, and dignity. Before getting extremely ill, I had succeeded in so many different avenues of life as I was not just good, but phenomenal at everything I had attempted. I had never taken this for granted. Even when having health, because I was always searching to be a better person. To grow. I have always been open minded. There's always the jealous nay sayers who survive on the hatred for others including my own family members that would say and do horrible things, but I always knew who I was and what I was capable of.
I have never doubted that. And in my time of remission around 34/35 I had truly realized that life is easy. My heart goes out to people with health issues. It is one of the very few things that takes away control within yourself and power for your own life, simply managing your own life being responsible and dignified. And in this world we prey upon the sick. We always use this term as we prey upon the weak. You can not poke a wound with a stick and expect it to heal.
After accomplishing so much in athletics and in schooling, but also due to my health, never being able to truly enjoy or reach the goals that I had worked so hard for, when I was finally called to the field of music, athletics had drifted for some time. I remember playing a gig, with several thousand people. And there was what we would call a groupie, though she was more of a friend, as I did not get into the world of sex and drugs when doing rock n roll. In fact, I don't even drink. This young lady would always bring me up a cigarette. I smoked a lot. My brand at this time was Camel Non-filters, and I had always smoked non-filters. Anywhere from 4-6 packs a day. I could not identify playing music without smoking cigarettes. It's a music thing, but it's more of a blues thing. And then I had realized how so many other musicians get into music for girls, etc. I never understood this and still don't. I got into music because my heart longed for it, my spirit. Needed it to survive. But is this who I am?
I had finally got out of that identity of needing to smoke to be a musician. I've always loved athletics, and again have excelled at them. I have loved, and do love the sport of bodybuilding. It had taken me quite some time as I could not wrap my head around the fact of being both a bodybuilder and a musician. But this also applied to acting, screen writing. I have lost the ability to sing. And it is very difficult to play the guitar, but I do have my moments and I take advantage of them.
Sometimes we get so involved in the way the world views things, we complicate life. When I went into remission, I was horribly out of shape and had terrible edema. I started working out slowly until I was working out over 5 and a half hours a day. I was around 245lbs with a waist size of 40 inches. In 16 days, I had replaced my fat and water with muscle, now weighing 252lbs with a 34 inch waist. Two weeks later, I weighed 265lbs with a 33" waist. All the while, playing music.
During this time, it was not only my goal to get back in shape, but I had been so atrophied that I really needed to build my strength back. My voice had come back, yet was infinitely better. Since then very few people have heard my voice except for those at the time when I was in remission. I had forgotten a lot of the songs that I have taught myself to play. And it was very difficult to play electric guitar at a high volume. Acoustic was easy. It was something about the intensity, the string size, how high they are off the fret board, the volume of my amp. I was one of those blues players that use to twitch when I played because of the passion inside. And I still groove when I play, but I had learned how to be an entertainer.
I had learned this from my very famous cousins that were and are musicians. Not some dance number, or all these special effects, lasers, and video screens, and I would dress professionally. Years ago I had met Robert Palmer who would wear a three piece suit, many times, onstage, but always a suit. Many times I was the same. Though, of course, I would not wear the suit jacket. I wanted the audience to be a part of me and my music, not just people coming to see a show.
The most people that I had ever played for was 1.4 million. It is something that only a handful of people can possibly fathom. The energy that comes from a crowd like that. I was an open channel to music. Never having to think. Never missing a note. Oh, and yes, I miss a lot now. My brain and body just aren't right. But going back to when I was in remission, I would get quite ill when playing with the intensity that I do on my electric. Profusely sweating, gagging, my body would become overwhelmed.
My ear was not quite right. On a personal note, there's some great pedals that I had, that I could not tweak to the sound I wanted, or maybe I just wasn't hearing the sound right, that they do not make anymore and I had sold or given them away. But because of the need to strengthen my body, so I could not only live and function, look and feel good, I started realizing the importance of my athletic side to my music side. How much better I felt lifting weights and exercising and how it helped my music.
And I don't know if it was an epiphany, but many times throughout my life I would struggle with the fact that how can I be a bodybuilder and reach that goal at the same time being a musician; reaching the goals that I had set for this. When I look back it seems so silly. But we do this many times in life. I hear people say that it's impossible to multitask, but we do it all the time. Many times it's just not a conscious effort.
Just using the left hand and right hand while playing the guitar, along with singing with clicking off and on my pedals, paying attention to the crowd, entertaining, I could go on, is all multitasking. No I can't play my guitar and lift weights at the same time.But in life, we find ourself fixated on one thing, and when we do this we can not look beyond it. Many times we believe that we are not putting forth the effort needed if we don't focus on just one thing, but this is not the case. If you have five children, you could in no way focus just on one.
I love bodybuilding and music in different ways. I found that the two go hand in hand. That there was more than enough time to do both and how they complimented each other. The focus on health, obviously lifting and exercising, the nutritional aspect, the focus, which bettered me in music and in life. Which is ultimately the goal. A little saying that I had come up with. The better I feel about myself, the less of a chance I have to feel worse about others. And that's really what it comes down to. Balance.
Now I look at things, and I do not identify my personality with music or lifting or anything else for that matter, these are all aspects of my life. Parts of me. When you get so ill that all of this is taken from you, past the point where a person could handle, you really understand how precious it is to be able to do multiple things and succeed. But the world is not your yardstick. You are your own. I find it ridiculous the way we measure success. I have spoken of this before, but I think the segregation that is put upon people by money, clout, simply title, into multimedia, where somehow, a person is better when they have a blue check mark on Facebook or Twitter. If you're on Twitter and a blue check mark follows you, you don't even take a second to find out who they are before you accept their follow.
I find this quite curious. Many of the people, we don't even know, but somehow, someone has decided that there is a certain group of people that need to be recognized more and the infantile usage of a blue check mark sets them apart. Yet, I would be remiss if I did not say that we all want that blue check mark. How fickle we all are. Why? Well the answer to that question is easy. It solidifies us permanently as someone who has achieved something based upon a committee on Twitter and we feel validated. We can not feel validation within ourselves anymore, from ourselves. Our own progress has to be monitored by others and recognized before we have our identity.
Learning to dedicate yourself to a multitude of things is important. I have spoken of my athletics. I have taken on just about as much as a person can in their life, wanting to educate myself in everything. A group of what we call an art, that I have also achieved are these: I started several different classes of martial arts, all around the age of 8. I am a 4th degree blackbelt in Tai Kwon Do, recognized by the world Tai Kwon Do Federation. I have a black belt in Judo. I am also a first degree master in the art of Jeet Kune Do. Which is the bringing together of two martial art forms from Bruce Lee, which are Kung Fu and Kali. I was a certified instructor in both Tai Kwon Do and Jeet Kune Do, and yes I was a certified instructor in Yoga. All of these were to better myself in life and in athletics. Why I started this is another story. But I can say simply hat I love to learn.
I was the youngest American to ever receive a blackbelt in Tai Kwon Do and to become a master in the art of Jeet Kune Do. For my age, in my youth, I have several world records for the fastest punch and kick. Many people say, BullShit. How could you do so much? Not only is it true, but it makes my point more relevant. I had done all of these things throughout my life until the disease of sickness had come upon me. Doing all of these things now, as of this time, are virtually impossible. But again, I look back and say, how could I not, in my adult life, continue to do these things altogether?
Just like in college, we always major and minor for our degree. We take many different classes. Listening to people. To where we become the teacher. Trying to create a well rounded person within ourself. I can identify with all of this. All of my accomplishments, but they are not my identity. When I get better, the world will see the greatest musician that has ever lived. Amongst the greatest of many other things. While being this ill and suffering for many years, as my life has been put on hold, I deserve this. I deserve for people to know who I am, but more importantly what I do and can do through and from my heart. But this is just part of me. My identity is Joshua Jet Vaughan. My identity is the love that I have in my heart for my wife.
Everything that I do, or that I will be able to do, hopefully soon, brings joy to my life. I don't feel the same emotions that I used to. I am battling everyday. I don't have the excitement for many things as I used to. The laughter. The happiness, the joy. But how could I? It is so easy to see people, to hear their reactions through multimedia. I have become jaded in many ways. But I also believe and have realized that I am a man. That the way many people act over things is ridiculous. We are all individuals and if we can find joy with something, more power to you.
I was watching America's Got Talent. To me, it's ridiculous. You have several people Judging you and please focus on the word Judge. And many of the contestants have talents that these judges know nothing about. I see the contestants' reaction when they are validated by the judges. Even before I got ill and jaded, I could care less what someone thought about me. Good or bad. It's childlike. When are we going to be enough for ourself, which is the only way that we will ever be in the position to be enough for someone else in their time of need. And this is the time when you should be recognized by the world for who you are. I am capable of doing all of these things that I have listed in my health and so much more. And if I have the time to do this, I certainly have the time to reach out and help others.
Every little thing in today's world says a lot about somebody. Being in the music and acting world, I know a lot of what we call celebrities. I have seen how their lives have changed for the better, yet, their personalities have changed for the worse. On Twitter, people who don't follow anyone. Saying, listen to me, go fuck yourself, I don't want to hear anything you have to say. Me, me, me, me. I, I, I, I. Yet, the sheep follow them no matter what, as if their little tweets are so special that all 40 million followers must cling on to the words of this one person.
On Facebook it is the same thing. Pictures of celebs with their shirts off. In bikinis. Are you serious? This is what you're offering the world? Yourself. And the way that people act is represented by multimedia and celebrities. Somehow, their level of success is the only way that you could be successful today. We all want the world to know who we are. We want to leave our mark. But is what is happening today truly leaving your mark? What happened to just being a great basketball player, or a great mechanic? An actor or musician? When did it become rockstar, celebrity, aficionado? When you look back in the bowels of history, you're going to be recognized for the fact that you did not have time in your busy schedule to give back to anyone else. And in multimedia you have the simplest and easiest way to do so.
Our hearts need to shine through. When I sit back and I think how I finally realized how silly and foolish I was that I thought I couldn't do a multitude of different things and be successful in all of them, and then I get sick; you really start to see how taking people for granted is not an option. However, the fact is that I was and am successful in these different things. Even myself had gotten to the point of the ignorance that I needed to be recognized by the entire world to deem myself successful. Though we long for it, which is natural, we can not expect it from others or accept it until we do so within ourselves. But in today's world, you can be whomever you want to be. We create images through multimedia, publicists, photoshop. As I'm slightly getting off my point, it's how my mind works so please bear with me.
So again, part of me has become jaded as I long for the days to be excited over simple things and of course, big things. As no one but myself and my wife, on this earth, have any idea, what has been taken away from me. Most people can not bear with dealing with the flu for a week, before they start getting a little crazy and getting cabin fever, and to enter back into the world becomes odd. Imagine having that for over ten years and never knowing when it's going to end.
It is hard for me to appreciate certain people when in reality there is no way they can appreciate others because of the lack of appreciation for themselves. Without the identity or rather false identity that they have created, or in many ways, we have created for them and they just go with it. Every celeb has to have a charity, but do they follow through? Do they get their hands dirty? Most of the time they give up. But when it comes to their so called identity, whether it be a comedian, a musician or an actor, that can't be let go.
Money is not the issue, it's being in the spotlight. The so called everyday man does not have the option to take a day off or a month, or a year. And their identity is not formed around their job title. It's the multitude of things they do on a daily basis throughout their entire life. Maybe not getting the recognition that we all desire. And please stop self-promoting. We see you everywhere. Can we see some of your human side? Before I go on, I do want to say that I have developed incredible relationships with many different people that are considered celebrities. So I do not want to generalize, or even be specific towards one person or another. But everyone knows who I am talking about. Including the person/ people I am talking about.
I miss living. There are so many things I want for my wife and myself. I am tired of suffering, and I am tired of not knowing when I will get better and to be honest, I have put my hands in the Lord my entire life and been completely fucked over. Many days are surreal. But not in a good way. So when I look back, I truly appreciate the gifts and the hard work. Everything that has brought me to who I am. And I understand that in my health, again, how easy life really is. It is not juggling many different things. It is simply taking the time for each of them, and intertwining them like a legato in music, meaning to string together all the different aspects of who we are and what we choose to do in this life.
On a funny note: getting back to America's Got Talent. Garry Shandling, when addressing this tv show said something very amusing. He said to me 'I can't stand the show. I've got talent, so go fuck yourself.' Basically, what he was saying, besides the obvious, is that who are you to judge me? I already know who I am. So who are you?
We are here to support each other. Not to judge. There is enough room for everyone at the top, as we call it. And there is no helping hand to pull you up to the top of the hill anymore, there is a kick in the face. The nerve of people today. The old saying, with great power comes great responsibility, does not apply anymore. This saying was not just referring to a great responsibility to yourself, but to and for others.
I don't subscribe to luck. I subscribe to We are our brother's keeper. And in one example, go back and look up to the years from the start of music in the US all the way up until around the 80's. Very few of the great musicians made it without another one helping them. And they all made it together and they changed music and this world for the better. Their lives intertwined because of the choices they made to help others. Especially to succeed.
Which brings me to this. If you are confident enough in yourself. You should have no problem allowing someone to stand next to you on the podium. Specifically as far as music, in today's world, I can not even attend concerts anymore. It's like a damn carnival. Your music should speak for itself, and that stems from your character. The next thing you know they'll be having carnival rides at concerts. People have been thrown into the spotlight (and the abundance of the morons who throw them into it.) and not paid their dues and not learned anything from life because they have not worked to achieve the rewards that they are receiving.
So I promise you this, and I always keep my word, when my health and youth is restored, my wife and I will set the way and show through perfect example of what people are supposed to be like.
One last note: I have spoken often of being a Christian, but my confusion within my suffering has made this difficult for me to shout it out like I used to. I doubt I will ever set foot in a church again. Identity is one of my reasons. Christians use God as their identity. So often spouting out 'I am a Christian', believing that people will think better about them, as far as their virtues and morality. And it is amazing that people with power and responsibility somehow are deemed infallible to the same flaws and problems that the rest of us are subjected to and live with.
My piece of advice: if you have not experienced something, educated yourself within something, practiced something, until you do this, keep your mouth shut as you should have no valid opinion. I would not ask a 4 year old to come fix the engine in my car when it broke down. And I would not ask a shitty mechanic to do so either.
What's interesting and why I am using a mechanic as an example is the only way for you to determine if they are a good mechanic is through their work and their work alone. It is not up to a committee, or a team of judges, it is up to how hard they work, up to their performance. And simply, if your car runs well. And that is the way we need to look at all aspects of life, all fields of work, as we are celebrity obsessed: Use your own opinion. A good song's a good song, whether it wins a Grammy or not. A good actor is a good actor, whether they win an Oscar or not. And for a group of people who celebrates themselves more than anyone else on this planet, they need to start spending more time celebrating the people who support them.
They need to find their identity outside of celebrity. We all need to find that we can do anything we want. We can achieve great success in many different things. And we must know that we are led to follow a multitude of different things, because the more we know and the more we do with the gifts and talents that we have been given, we go from follower and student to leader and teacher. And we are sorely lacking in great leaders and teachers today.
So identify yourself with who you are in your heart, and I give you my word, the world will see and feel it. Do everything and find that there's nothing you can't do.
~Joshua Jet Vaughan~
Post Script- I am going to rant for a few. I might even use some vulgarity. And I'm going to use names which is something I rarely do, but I believe it is necessary. First: My wife and I have started several charities to help others. A few months ago I had almost died, I was in the hospital for quite some time. We had been helping several families. Obviously, I had not been on any multimedia site. I received several horrible messages and emails basically telling me that I had thrown these people away, how dare I. I replied kindly with what had taken place. I had gotten a reply stating Nothing about I hope you are doing better, but please can you continue to help us now, and as far as your life God will take care of you. I wanted to say, don't come to me, God will take care of YOU. Well, enough of that.
So let's start with the idiocy of celebrity. Reese Witherspoon in an award show said that the hardest decision she has ever had to make in her life was choosing to play a specific character in a movie. FUCK YOU.
Next. Rose McGowan. We all know the controversy with the fact that she had a problem with the audition process when the letter that Adam Sandler, though I doubt it was directly from him, but was his movie, that was given to everyone who auditioned was Please dress a certain way including wearing a push up bra. Rose went apeshit crazy. My opinion, and my opinion is valid because I know this world and these people, is that she needed to create controversy for her fledgling career. And in no other normal everyday career, could you do this. No one would give a shit and you would not even be listened to. You'd just be fired. On an added note, Google Rose McGowan images. 99.9% of them are pornographic. Her having sex in a still photo. If you're easily offended, turn away. As a man's penis was inserted in her and a picture was taken. I had seen Rose McGowan personally at an award show wearing a dress that almost looked like chainlink armor, with no bra, and a thong. Yes, at an award show. Attending with Marilyn Manson. And she's up in arms over a push up bra?
First of all it is part of your job. Why don't you quit acting and go work at McDonald's when they force you to wear silly hats and ugly uniforms, and you will not make in one year what Rose makes in one week. Or how about taking a group of construction workers and one of them throws a fit because they are required to wear a hard hat. It's like having an extremely overweight person work at GNC. This is a woman, and I use that term lightly, that has flaunted her breasts since she was a child actor. And the fact that I actually heard people stating, even on TMZ, that she was right in her complaint. First, it's a push up bra, women wear this every day in their daily lives. You're underclothing is a uniform. Every job requires this. We all work for somebody. Even if we don't know it. And after 20+ years of acting, this is something that is a prerequisite, just as they will not use a dwarf to play Shaquille O'Neal in a life story. And let's get down to it. You are acting. So to Miss Rose I am going to put every disgusting photo on Google and then complain about wearing a push up bra for a movie that required no nudity just cleavage, and make millions off from it McGowan, stop your complaining or get another job.
Which gets me into sex tapes. Are we that naive to believe that the people who are doing the tapes are not putting them out there themselves. When someone like Kim Kardashian has made multimillions and an entire career from one sex tape, of course people are going to do it. It's hard for me to believe that someone is sitting around on the computer, just waiting, while using all their time hacking into specific celebrities and these are the people we celebrate? My God, can people stop complaining?
Life is what life is. And this is my example of a person who has identified herself with sex and debauchery and now opposes a push up bra. And lastly, if you get the chance, I want you to take the time to watch two documentaries. The first one is called That Guy in That Thing. The second one is called That Gal In That Thing. This is based upon character actors that have achieved a mediocre level of success in their field of acting. Where many of them are recognizable by face, but not by name. This is in no way sexist or chauvinist, this is on how individuals deal with the hardships in their field of work. Though in acting, they will never be called hardships from me. The men's answers to the questions, and their reactions are so different from the ladies, it is remarkable. I will not give much of it away, but we all know there is type casting. This is addressed in both documentaries. But the women can not stop talking about age and weight. And sometimes even sexual assault. And there is one woman specifically, as you will see, that is so arrogant based upon her insecurity. Women complaining that they have to lose weight for a role, or change their hair color, or wear something that they consider to be sexist. They talk about their age being an issue. And that men have it easier when they get older. Easier to get jobs in acting. Roles.
Well if it came down to that, then we might as well throw away the Meryl Streeps, Susan Sarandons, even now with age, Julia Roberts, maybe they just have more talent, work harder, and don't complain. And though there is some truth that when men get older they get more dignified in their look, well, here's how I look at it, it's simply coming back around. In a boy's youth, the opportunity to get great movie roles is few and far between. And if they grow up ugly, hence Macauley Culkin. They're screwed. Girls in their youth, get far more roles. So yes, there may be more roles for men when they get older out there, but I believe it comes down to your talent, work ethic, but especially your attitude. Though Macauley Culkin is a poor example, what I am saying is that many young men are goofy looking and then they grow into their own. Women in their youth are found to be very attractive, when they grow older, well let's just say that there's more body parts for things to go wrong, but if we respect ourselves, and take care of ourselves, which is proven with the people that I have named, this should not be a problem. the same applies to music, and in fact to all fields of work. Certain men might get a job because they are stronger than another man. And this applies to women as well.
And back to creating an identity that should not be created. I was simply amazed, and so was my wife when we saw these two documentaries, at the difference between the men and women actors. A woman claiming that she had to lose weight for a movie, and hated that, that they would do it to her, hence casting directors, but also at the same time says she feels better when she loses the weight because she's overweight. But if a man needs to put on weight to play in a movie, as far as muscle or fat, many will do so. Because they know they need to to get the role. If a man has to lose weight, getting cut/ripped for a role (Hollywood's idea of cut/ripped is not the rest of the world's hence airbrushing), playing a boxer, or a track runner, they will do so. Even when coming down to the irresponsibility that people like Christian Bale show, when losing weight to the point where they could die. For example there is a new movie called sex tape with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel and the director straight out told Jason Segel he had to lose weight so that it would be believable that Cameron Diaz would be married to him in the movie. Yet, no offense was taken as this is part of the job curriculum. When Hollywood magazines add sparkles to the eyes of actors in pics and shave off inches from their waistline in a bikini photo, well, let's just say you can't have it both ways you fucking whiners.
None of these things cause question to your integrity. It is what you have signed up for. This is the world I live in, so this is the world I am speaking of. The hypocrisy that knows no bounds. But I suggest if you don't like it that you give away all your possessions, empty your bank account, move over to Burma, and live over there for a month and if you survive, I'm sure when you come back you will not be complaining about having to wear a push up bra and making millions of dollars for doing it. And it's not as if she's walking around , Ms. Rose McGowan, the whole movie with just a push up bra on. And so what if she did. I can think of many movies where men had to get in shape and had their shirt off for more than 90% of the movie. And let's not forget BayWatch or female modelling. It's job requirement. No one put a gun to your head to audition for this movie. If you don't like the terms, keep your mouth shut and audition for another one. That's the way it works. And have no misconception that these people don't know what they are getting into. Publicists, agents and management make them very aware. And as far as music, someone like Justin Bieber who has no talent and is a punk ass kid, has recently spoken out that he was thrown into this industry. What does that mean? You made a choice. Personally, how he is successful I have no idea. I don't want to hear children sing. Because they can't. And it's not that all their music is bad, just as many adults who play music are not very good, it's the fact that they use their age to get away with acting like morons. We all know what's right and wrong. And Justin knows that he can egg a multi-million dollar house and get away with it. Just Because. And let's not get started on Taylor Swift. I have heard her write songs about all her ex-boyfriends. First of all, a tween or teen writing about love is like Donald Trump writing about the hardships of being black and poor. And as far as Taylor is concerned, get over it. I don't want to hear what you have to say, again, surprised that she has a fan base.I am finding that adults are now acting more like children. And though children are more aware with more opportunity and access to technology and what should be adult careers, they are the most selfish, excuse making, daddy issue, generation that we have ever seen. And it's now not youth that allows you to get away with murder, it's fame and money. I suppose it always has been, but just is more relevant now. If an everyday man of 35 years of age egged the same house, he'd be sitting in jail right now. So again, I say, Stop complaining. And when actors are so inclined to take their clothes off, doing full frontal, which ultimately is the actor's choice, which personally I find disgusting and never needed in a film, what is everyone complaining about. If someone told me Joshua, if you wear a push up bra, and no I don't need one, my point is, is if I was told this and they said you would be healed of all your health problems, it wouldn't even take a second for me to say, "Where's that damn bra?" I'm using celebrity again, because it's what we celebrate. Which word came first is the question now... Celebrity, or celebrate, celebrate or celebrity? The chicken or the egg.
Everyday I see and hear the irresponsibility and ignorance of these people that are representing the entire world, because they are the only ones that have a voice. They use every form of media to self promote. And it is becoming extremely annoying. What happened to listening and learning to talking and experiencing another person? No matter what they do for a living. Fame and celebrity fades, but your character, your heart never will. And I would simply spend more time learning about the people that support me, that support these extremely famous and wealthy people, that have made their living by lying and playing house, than constantly telling me about their new upcoming fucking movie. Fame is quite a thing. Money is too. It allows you to be the true assholes that nature intended you to be. Some people are very responsible with this. Acting is a job. They have a life. Some famous people choose not to be on Twitter. Some do interact. And on this rare occasion, I am going to mention a few names: First, no we don't have to follow or pay attention to these people. But human nature lies in the fact that we can't stop, like a car crash. We have to look. A couple of the people I am mentioning, I used to be really good friends with. Until they decided that friendship is not as important as money and fame. Some of Dwayne Johnson's movies I really like. But every thing on multimedia is about him. Or the fact that he still name drops. Vin Diesel. Well, that's all I have to say about him. Mischa Collins. Zachary Quinto. These people and Mischa and Zachary follow zero. Yes, zero fucking people on Twitter. Are you kidding me? Do you realize that that means there is no feed coming into their page? It is simply, I wake up, say what I have to say, now go fuck yourself. Dwayne Johnson has never favorited or retweeted anyone since he started his Twitter page. I know Anna Kendrick. She specifically spoke of how she had respect for Dwayne. And she tried to tweet him hoping for a response. After several months she had gotten nothing in return. When she further checked his page out, she had spent hours seeing that there was absolutely no favoriting or retweeting. And lastly, certain people who only favorite. I like being able to connect with people, to share what they have to say. Twitter's mantra is Sharing and Caring. I am saying what everybody else wants to say, but won't do it. I'm already established in music and movies, I'm not worried about burning bridges. And I have spoken about people and then had seen them. They were too cowardice to even bring it up to me, as you could tell in their body language that it had certainly pissed them off because they knew what I was saying was relevant and true. And some of them even pointed out to me that they were glad I had spoken up as they had felt quite shameful for their actions or lack there of. I'm not saying this to pick on individuals to pick on them or offend them, but do we ever get old enough to where somebody can't speak about us or teach us or put us in our place? It happens all throughout our youth. It's called constructive criticism. We all need it. And we should all want it. Are we getting too big for our own britches? You have to go through a lot of bad in this life to be humble enough to still want to learn. And we need to reassess our lives and be appreciative for the blessings we have been given. And if our hardest choice is to choose whether we should be in a movie or not, as opposed to do I pay for my medication or for groceries this month, those people that have the easy choices need to realize that they were given a responsibility from God himself to help those who have to make the difficult choices. And the first thing we must do is stop complaining and start reaching out and the simplest way to do that is through conversation using multimedia which is something that we have never had before and we can use it to change the world. Use it the change the world for the better. Not for the butter. And if you don't understand what I'm saying, the old term buttering someone up? Don't do it because you're afraid that a big time celebrity might think less of you. Do it because you have freedom and the right to speak and you have a voice that could be more powerful based upon your conviction as opposed to your obsession.
I believe that there is hope in this world and for this world. Why am I ranting about celebrities? Because they have the biggest voice and the most opportunity to change this world for the better. I have talked about police officers, doctors, sometimes politicians, but that is hopeless and pointless. So in ending, if we're going to celebrate celebrity, let's not celebrate them for the entertainment they provide, which is all it is, but is wonderful, let's celebrate the ones who understand the blessings that they have and who use it to better each and every person's life. And if we do this ourself, eventually our voice and united voices will become larger and larger til the whole world can hear. Will hear. And will stand up in joy as we now celebrate the fact that we appreciate all men. All life. And this beautiful world that we have taken for granted, with the people that we have shot down that have never taken it for granted. And if you're saying, Joshua, you always speak of love and forgiveness. Well, that's what this is. Love and forgiveness stems from the truth. We must point out the truth and accept it. We have to accept it in others and within ourselves. Whether the truth is good or bad, it must be revealed. We all have different ways of speaking at different times, different ways of expressing ourselves. If we are our brother's keeper, then we must hold ourself responsible for speaking up for what is right and recognizing what is wrong. Just as we do with our own family, friends and children, this is the only way to reach the truth and through this the only way through recognition of the truth to have the ability to change the world, again, for the better. Now I am done.
The Sounds of Heaven
Friday, July 10, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Bodybuilding/Weightlifting
As I was growing up, my life was revolved around athletics. In all the sports that I had played, I had excelled. I have spoken of this before; in basketball, in football, I was All-American. Three years as high school basketball player, and though only playing one year of football, which was during my senior year, I was All-American in that sport as well. In both track and cross country I was nationally recognized as one of the top five cross country runners and track athletes in the nation. In basketball, for the three years I was first team All-American on both offense and defense. In football, I played both ways, but was recognized as an All-American first team defense as a linebacker/free safety. For track and cross country I was a national champion three years in a row for both sports as well. While playing football my senior year, I ran cross country at the exact same time. In these four sports I was one of the biggest prospects ever in our nation.
Ultimately playing college football for a Big Ten school where I was also first team All-American for defense. In football and basketball, I had my opportunities to go pro. For track, I had qualified for the Olympics in three events. I had a different calling/purpose but also I started having serious health issues at this time in my early 20's.
I was raised in the sport of bodybuilding and powerlifting. My father was a world champion power lifter and was Bill Kazmaier's training partner. In the sport of bodybuilding, my aunt was Lou Ferrigno's training partner. I had started lifting at a very young age. My senior year, as I was a year younger than everyone else, I graduated around 175lbs at 5'8", my waist was 27". By the age of 21 and a half, I had sprouted up to over 6'3" weighing around 270lbs and depending on how hard I trained, my waist was around 31-33.5". I was completely drug free. Genetics. Nutrition. Simply eating a lot. And working out.
I ate very healthy. When I first started working out heavy, within the first month I tried eating a Snickers bar. After the first bite I got very sick to my stomach. My desert would be baby food. I have, still to this day, an incredibly high metabolism. Even with all my health issues, five years ago when I was in remission, I weighed 285lbs and my waist was 34". I have lost a lot of size, but still have dropped down to only 250lbs. The dimensions of my body were that of a pro bodybuilder. Of course, at 22, weighing 270lbs, the density of muscle I had was quite great, because I had grown up doing laborous work. The density that I had a few years ago was so much more because of my age and the years that I had put in lifting. And I will remind you that I was also a doctor.
Being a doctor was not a good fit for me. I had did some time working in a clinic and then spent a couple years working for a professional basketball team. I am giving you this background of myself because it is pertinent to what I am about to say. I am going to talk about steroids and bodybuilding.
Steroids are used in every sport. College and pro. They are used knowingly, of course by the athletes, but by the doctors, the coaches, obviously team mates, the team's management and advisers, faculty, going up into upper management and ownership. Many people like to think that this is not the case, however, it is. I did not even have to prescribe steroids. They were available. I simply gave the injections. And I am not talking about corticosteroids such as prednisone or cortisone, which were used, as well as every type of pain killer, but I'm specifically talking about anabolic steroids. We all know that bodybuilders use steroids.
There are many people who spout out their opinion about anabolic steroids, that not only have never taken them, but have no idea what they are talking about. A few years ago, because of my autoimmune disease, I was prescribed anabolic steroids along with testosterone. My recent experience with doctors, many of them did not even know when I had told them the drugs that were prescribed to me, what they were, what they did, absolutely no clue. I have read on forums people giving advice to teenagers on what kind of steroids to take. Several forums where advice was given for kids to start out with 500mg per week of a testosterone called Sustanon along with 500mg of a steroid called Decaonate a week. Others suggesting 1000mg of Cypionate weekly with 500mg of Decaonate and 3 10mg tablets of Dianabol. This is ridiculous!
Steroids are part of bodybuilding. A friend of mine had recently spoke about some of this that, because of multimedia, bodybuilding has been thrown back into the dark ages. This is true. Also, bodybuilders that have much more mass than the bodybuilders of the past, also have horribly distended bellies. Medically I could tell you exactly why this is, but that is not what I am writing about.
Some bodybuilders, during competing, but mostly after retirement will speak about their steroids, along with supplementation, work out routines and dietary habits. The steroids they use, sometimes are excessive. But they did not start out at these doses. It was years of training and nutrition, eventually getting into steroids which is referred to as gear, and then gradually changing medications and upping the dosage.
Bodybuilding was always considered the epitome of health. I had seen a profile of Arnold Schwarzeneger on a tv program. A 30 year old childish know-it-all who simply is a reporter who has no idea about medication or steroids specifically, talked about how Arnold and the bodybuilders of his time had used quote "lots and lots and lots of steroids." First, let's be clear. Steroids were legal at this time. They are legal in many other countries and most people don't understand that they are legal in our country. This is managed state by state, as federal law does not apply here. There's no disallusion that bodybuilders don't use steroids.
Getting to my point: as I said in all professional sports, steroids are used in abundance, but they are overseen. There is a group of people including doctors, but going beyond, that manage and regulate the usage, according to each individual, what they are trying to achieve as far as results by using such medications. I'm not sure why we get up in arms when we find out that athletes in football, baseball, even bike riding, causes such a remarkable outcry as people will complain. And where the federal government hand picks individuals as they try to make an example for using specific people while indicting, putting them on trial and trying to throw them in jail, yet this never happens.
The ones who always get shot down for this are the ones that become the most successful. The point is, with almost everyone, let's say specifically on a baseball team, using steroids, there may be a handful of players that you can directly see the result. And in their sport, let's them exceed others. But talent and hardwork comes into play or else every person that took them would be achieving the same success. And if you notice the federal government has become lax on this as our country loves to grab ahold of anything we can (remember the war on drugs?) but essentially it backfires creating martyrs, and the federal government does not want to create a martyr.
Advocation of steroids has nothing to do with what I am saying here. I am merely trying to suggest something. I would like to see the sport of bodybuilding flourish again. First, I believe that bodybuilders need to be more open about their usage. They must be responsible, as this has a direct impact on how society looks at the sport, but also for future bodybuilders. So as I stated earlier, as being a doctor for a professional sports team and the avid use of steroids, to put it in laymens terms, they have had and have a group of individuals taking care of each individual athlete. How bodybuilding works is you compete in the NPC. You have a chance to win your pro card. Once you win your pro card, the obvious goal is to compete and win in the IFBB.
We need the IFBB to invest in a team of doctors, as I was, to oversee and help athletes. Without the athlete having to pay out of their own pocket. Allowing the medications to come from legitimate sources. Where levels can be monitored and regulated. Obviously safety being the first concern. Bodybuilding is the most expensive sport for each person that exists on this planet. And I'm not even talking about drugs or supplements. The average pro can spend upwards of $1500 a week on food. Without endorsements/sponsorships it is difficult to afford just the nutritional aspect of the sport. Some athletes can have the best genetics, use a lesser amount of steroids/testosterone, use less supplements,work out harder, but can simply not afford the food they need to allow them to reach a certain level of success. Why there isn't a committee of doctors/performance enhancing specialists, nutritionists, as we call them gurus, to help over see the athletes is ridiculous. Why the IFBB doesn't invest in these type of employees.
If the sport is represented by individuals, it can never succeed. There is a loss of team and camaraderie. To explain a little bit about testosterone, which is highly prescribed and recommended now a days, testosterone is a steroid. They simply rework the esters which eventually synthetically creates different forms of testosterone that allow them to become more anabolic, which then is considered a steroid. Anabolic steroids have been used since before WWII. Medically they have been used for such diseases as AIDS, HIV, cancer, specifically leukemia, Wasting disease, MS, Parkinson's, chronic pain, Addison's disease, and I could go on.
What these medications do, especially when dealing with these type of diseases is help allow a body to stay in an anabolic state. Where people are not able to consume enough food, have enough nutrition to keep them in this state as their body would continue to deplete by being in a catabolic state simply meaning the body starts eating itself, specifically muscle tissue. In diseases such as Addison's, it is helped to regulate the adrenal output as a person's natural steroid production that comes from your adrenal glands, which are about the size of a bar of soap and there are two of them directly in the middle of your back. It also helps with the lubrication of your joints and the healing process. Though not literally considered an anabolic steroid, Human Growth Hormone is used because of problems with the pituitary and the adrenal glands.
When I look at the sport today, when I have attended bodybuilding shows, sometimes it is horrifying to see the water retention mixed with dehydration, ultimately distending the gut creating a lot of hernias, muscle tears, etc. As I have gotten off track getting more into the medical aspect of these drugs, I believe there needs to be an advocate for the sport.
Very seldom does the government come after professional bodybuilders and steroid use. In fact the DEA has spent more time going after supplement companies than anything else.
So back to the basketball team I worked for. Many of the athletes took many different types of steroids. Testosterone, HGH, anti-estrogens were used, diuretics, but they were all overseen by doctors and specialists. In a sport that there is no disallusion that they do not use steroids, to bring the sport back to the epitome of health, we need better education to the public on what steroids do. A better inside look on what the athletes do. And a committee of doctors/gurus who are allowed or rather mandated to serve professional bodybuilders as the level of success of the bodybuilder should not come from the amount of money they have. Legitimizing the sport as a sport. I feel as if it's underground now. The people's ignorance of bodybuilding, but also the ignorance of many of the bodybuilders.
There are great examples for the bodybuilding community within their own athletes. But all aspects of the sport need to be spoken of more openly by people within the bodybuilding community. As of now, the ignorance in multimedia, with the person/s who knows nothing of the sport, of the world, of the dedication and commitment it takes, who have no medical degree, who have probably never touched a weight in their life, who have never eaten right, who have no idea what they are talking about are the ones who are being heard.
Ignoring the truth is ignorance. When something happens, you can't pretend it's not and expect it to go away. Personally I would like to see more retired bodybuilders join together for the sport and educate the masses on it. When I was a kid, bodybuilding was all over tv. Though steroid usage was the same, the admiration of the athlete and their physiques and what they had did to get these physiques is what was seen. It's almost as if the notice of steroids in other sports has created an ignorance within people, mass media/multimedia, and bodybuilding as a result is fading away. I do not want to see the sport go. If you like bodybuilding, but don't like the use of steroids, well that's why they have natural bodybuilding competitions as well.
And just like any medication, and let's make this clear, that's what steroids are: they are not for everyone. We need people within this sport who help create it such as Arnold Schwarzeneger, Louie Ferrigno, Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, and many others to speak up and let people see the inside world of bodybuilding. We need to get over the steroid usage. The IFBB and the NPC need to take a hard look at where bodybuilding is going and see that many of the athletes are out of control; but their builds, the distension of their waist is not all to do with drugs. We have lost a lot of good competitions such as the Iron Man Pro.
When you see an actor get in great shape in a months time, if you are foolish enough to believe they are not using steroids, as somehow this would degrade them getting in any type of physical condition that was worthy of being seen on a movie screen, what you are doing is picking and choosing why and who can use these drugs. When actors get in shape for a movie they have nutritionists, trainers, performance enhancing specialists and they don't pay a cent. In fact it raises the amount of money that the movie will make so the movie studios invest into these actors simply for a movie and they make hundreds of millions of dollars off from these films. And everybody knows it. This is what we need to be seen. What needs to be done in the sport of bodybuilding.
It needs to be a sport, invested in by the federations that oversee it. Steroids are a reality. Just like any civil right, if a person wants to use them and it harms no one else, then why should we care and why should there be a negative connotation to it. People like Arnold took muscles from the bodybuilding world and created a desired look to spread throughout the entire world. I hear retired athletes saying that after 25 years of using steroids, I don't advocate them. This is contradicting within itself. So what I am hearing is that after you were successful in your chosen sport, and reaped the benefits, now you say I don't agree with them. But then these retired athletes still participate in bodybuilding events; whether judging or expos, or simply meet and greets.
I want to see professional bodybuilders take more responsibility, but it is very difficult when they have to do this on their own. When they don't have their own federation backing them up. What we are seeing now is that the science of the sport is being lost, but is very difficult for the athlete to do what they have to do when they have to juggle it all themselves; where in no other sport is this the case. In other sports they are having a multitude of people help them. And ultimately steroids is a supplement that enhances performance. If we can get back to the core of bodybuilding with the support of people and bring back aesthetics, and that thrill to see a muscular build, that would be a start of bodybuilding flourishing again. There are many people who have mastered the art of bodybuilding and everything that is entailed with the sport There are many great athletes that have incredible builds that may never see the level of success because everything they do comes out of their own pocket. It is the only sport where the athlete spends more on themselves for performance and health than they get in return.
If I were actively part of the world of bodybuilding and maybe this will happen someday, as of now I play music and write movies and act, my health issues have affected me in my chosen fields. Though I have competed naturally in a couple bodybuilding events and placed first in both of them, and had qualified to compete in the World's Strongest Man, I was not able to do this because of my health,but again, when I get better,this is something I would really like to do for the sport of bodybuilding. And I will say, exclusively, that by no means should you believe that strong men don't use steroids either. Before going on, creatine, which has revolutionized supplementation, and is the most recommended supplement for all autoimmune diseases, was in jeopardy of being classified as a steroid. So without knowing anything medically about these drugs, but specifically having an experience through taking them, please do not listen to the opinion of people who have no idea what they're talking about because they have learned through the propaganda of multimedia. Frankly, they are sheep.
I would want to be one of the people who invest, not in the sport, but in the individuals who are the sport. And for the up and coming bodybuilders we need mentors, coaches, doctors, trainers, nutritionists; as in the sport of football you're drafted and they basically state what you are worth and they invest in the future of the person, of the team and of the organization, in this case that would be the NFL. I don't see bodybuilding doing that for the athletes.
And personally there is nothing worse than individuals hiding the use of steroids. This comes more in the world of acting and other sports than in the sport of bodybuilding. It is proven that if the people want something, it will happen. And just like in every aspect of life it comes down to money. There are a lot of great bodybuilders out there and few get the recognition that is deserved. And it has almost become a niche where there is almost a cult following that comes from magazines, going to the shows personally, or through multimedia. And this has been a disaster for sports like bodybuilding.
The people who have gotten incredible success from the sport need to give back to it. As I said, by taking time to teach, to coach, to mentor, to educate. For instance the Weiders. Reg Park. And several others. This was something that happened years ago. It is not happening as often now. As bodybuilders are getting older and older before they reach any level of success. Yes there are a lot more bodybuilders today. But there is a lot more advancement in science and nutrition than there ever was before; so it comes down to the IFBB and the NPC taking the power and the voice out of multimedia and putting it back into the organization that they represent and run. And into the individual athlete.
You could have the greatest build in the world and never be noticed, because you are not recognized by your own organization. When I was younger, I knew about every bodybuilder that there was. And now there is a small group. Every once in a while, I will see someone on Twitter, Facebook, and I have no idea who they are, but when I Google search them Google has no idea who they are, and I think, this could be the next Mr. Olympia the world should not have to know who you are before the organization that you represent and support, represents and supports you. I also see 50 year old men with incredible builds that have dedicated their life to health, not just for themselves but for others. It shows that multimedia can be a great source to bring bodybuilding back to the forefront. But it is being overran by the people who know nothing about it.
The athletes, individually, do not have the power to bring the sport back. We have to make bodybuilding a team sport and this starts from the federations and the people who have gained so much from the sport, giving back so that it does not die out. This must be a team effort, and it must start with someone standing up in advocation for the sport.
In ending I will also speak about the fact that there are only two recognizable competitions anymore, the Arnold Classic and the Olympia. This does not give exposure to the sport or opportunity to the athlete. Personally I don't like the fact that if you are the Olympia champion, you don't have to compete in any other contest. This is not a good example, as most pictures of the athlete are used from the few months that they are training to compete for the Olympia, or the Arnold Classic. Where many bodybuilders keep in shape year round and this is how the sport was done years ago. It was a lifestyle. They would cycle off their steroids, keep on lifting, and then go back on them for a short period of time. Though this is not what I am talking about as far as usage, it would give us a better understanding about the health benefits of bodybuilding if we were to see these competitors year round. And to give you one example of this, it would be as if the Boston Red Sox won the world series and never had to play another game and automatically went to the world series the next year. It doesn't make any sense.
So I think that there needs to be a revamping of the sport. And I believe the individuals that are now in their 50's or older, that may still compete, but definitely still lift, along with the IFBB and the NPC, should get together and take the time to invest in their own sport.
~Joshua Jet Vaughan~
Ultimately playing college football for a Big Ten school where I was also first team All-American for defense. In football and basketball, I had my opportunities to go pro. For track, I had qualified for the Olympics in three events. I had a different calling/purpose but also I started having serious health issues at this time in my early 20's.
I was raised in the sport of bodybuilding and powerlifting. My father was a world champion power lifter and was Bill Kazmaier's training partner. In the sport of bodybuilding, my aunt was Lou Ferrigno's training partner. I had started lifting at a very young age. My senior year, as I was a year younger than everyone else, I graduated around 175lbs at 5'8", my waist was 27". By the age of 21 and a half, I had sprouted up to over 6'3" weighing around 270lbs and depending on how hard I trained, my waist was around 31-33.5". I was completely drug free. Genetics. Nutrition. Simply eating a lot. And working out.
I ate very healthy. When I first started working out heavy, within the first month I tried eating a Snickers bar. After the first bite I got very sick to my stomach. My desert would be baby food. I have, still to this day, an incredibly high metabolism. Even with all my health issues, five years ago when I was in remission, I weighed 285lbs and my waist was 34". I have lost a lot of size, but still have dropped down to only 250lbs. The dimensions of my body were that of a pro bodybuilder. Of course, at 22, weighing 270lbs, the density of muscle I had was quite great, because I had grown up doing laborous work. The density that I had a few years ago was so much more because of my age and the years that I had put in lifting. And I will remind you that I was also a doctor.
Being a doctor was not a good fit for me. I had did some time working in a clinic and then spent a couple years working for a professional basketball team. I am giving you this background of myself because it is pertinent to what I am about to say. I am going to talk about steroids and bodybuilding.
Steroids are used in every sport. College and pro. They are used knowingly, of course by the athletes, but by the doctors, the coaches, obviously team mates, the team's management and advisers, faculty, going up into upper management and ownership. Many people like to think that this is not the case, however, it is. I did not even have to prescribe steroids. They were available. I simply gave the injections. And I am not talking about corticosteroids such as prednisone or cortisone, which were used, as well as every type of pain killer, but I'm specifically talking about anabolic steroids. We all know that bodybuilders use steroids.
There are many people who spout out their opinion about anabolic steroids, that not only have never taken them, but have no idea what they are talking about. A few years ago, because of my autoimmune disease, I was prescribed anabolic steroids along with testosterone. My recent experience with doctors, many of them did not even know when I had told them the drugs that were prescribed to me, what they were, what they did, absolutely no clue. I have read on forums people giving advice to teenagers on what kind of steroids to take. Several forums where advice was given for kids to start out with 500mg per week of a testosterone called Sustanon along with 500mg of a steroid called Decaonate a week. Others suggesting 1000mg of Cypionate weekly with 500mg of Decaonate and 3 10mg tablets of Dianabol. This is ridiculous!
Steroids are part of bodybuilding. A friend of mine had recently spoke about some of this that, because of multimedia, bodybuilding has been thrown back into the dark ages. This is true. Also, bodybuilders that have much more mass than the bodybuilders of the past, also have horribly distended bellies. Medically I could tell you exactly why this is, but that is not what I am writing about.
Some bodybuilders, during competing, but mostly after retirement will speak about their steroids, along with supplementation, work out routines and dietary habits. The steroids they use, sometimes are excessive. But they did not start out at these doses. It was years of training and nutrition, eventually getting into steroids which is referred to as gear, and then gradually changing medications and upping the dosage.
Bodybuilding was always considered the epitome of health. I had seen a profile of Arnold Schwarzeneger on a tv program. A 30 year old childish know-it-all who simply is a reporter who has no idea about medication or steroids specifically, talked about how Arnold and the bodybuilders of his time had used quote "lots and lots and lots of steroids." First, let's be clear. Steroids were legal at this time. They are legal in many other countries and most people don't understand that they are legal in our country. This is managed state by state, as federal law does not apply here. There's no disallusion that bodybuilders don't use steroids.
Getting to my point: as I said in all professional sports, steroids are used in abundance, but they are overseen. There is a group of people including doctors, but going beyond, that manage and regulate the usage, according to each individual, what they are trying to achieve as far as results by using such medications. I'm not sure why we get up in arms when we find out that athletes in football, baseball, even bike riding, causes such a remarkable outcry as people will complain. And where the federal government hand picks individuals as they try to make an example for using specific people while indicting, putting them on trial and trying to throw them in jail, yet this never happens.
The ones who always get shot down for this are the ones that become the most successful. The point is, with almost everyone, let's say specifically on a baseball team, using steroids, there may be a handful of players that you can directly see the result. And in their sport, let's them exceed others. But talent and hardwork comes into play or else every person that took them would be achieving the same success. And if you notice the federal government has become lax on this as our country loves to grab ahold of anything we can (remember the war on drugs?) but essentially it backfires creating martyrs, and the federal government does not want to create a martyr.
Advocation of steroids has nothing to do with what I am saying here. I am merely trying to suggest something. I would like to see the sport of bodybuilding flourish again. First, I believe that bodybuilders need to be more open about their usage. They must be responsible, as this has a direct impact on how society looks at the sport, but also for future bodybuilders. So as I stated earlier, as being a doctor for a professional sports team and the avid use of steroids, to put it in laymens terms, they have had and have a group of individuals taking care of each individual athlete. How bodybuilding works is you compete in the NPC. You have a chance to win your pro card. Once you win your pro card, the obvious goal is to compete and win in the IFBB.
We need the IFBB to invest in a team of doctors, as I was, to oversee and help athletes. Without the athlete having to pay out of their own pocket. Allowing the medications to come from legitimate sources. Where levels can be monitored and regulated. Obviously safety being the first concern. Bodybuilding is the most expensive sport for each person that exists on this planet. And I'm not even talking about drugs or supplements. The average pro can spend upwards of $1500 a week on food. Without endorsements/sponsorships it is difficult to afford just the nutritional aspect of the sport. Some athletes can have the best genetics, use a lesser amount of steroids/testosterone, use less supplements,work out harder, but can simply not afford the food they need to allow them to reach a certain level of success. Why there isn't a committee of doctors/performance enhancing specialists, nutritionists, as we call them gurus, to help over see the athletes is ridiculous. Why the IFBB doesn't invest in these type of employees.
If the sport is represented by individuals, it can never succeed. There is a loss of team and camaraderie. To explain a little bit about testosterone, which is highly prescribed and recommended now a days, testosterone is a steroid. They simply rework the esters which eventually synthetically creates different forms of testosterone that allow them to become more anabolic, which then is considered a steroid. Anabolic steroids have been used since before WWII. Medically they have been used for such diseases as AIDS, HIV, cancer, specifically leukemia, Wasting disease, MS, Parkinson's, chronic pain, Addison's disease, and I could go on.
What these medications do, especially when dealing with these type of diseases is help allow a body to stay in an anabolic state. Where people are not able to consume enough food, have enough nutrition to keep them in this state as their body would continue to deplete by being in a catabolic state simply meaning the body starts eating itself, specifically muscle tissue. In diseases such as Addison's, it is helped to regulate the adrenal output as a person's natural steroid production that comes from your adrenal glands, which are about the size of a bar of soap and there are two of them directly in the middle of your back. It also helps with the lubrication of your joints and the healing process. Though not literally considered an anabolic steroid, Human Growth Hormone is used because of problems with the pituitary and the adrenal glands.
When I look at the sport today, when I have attended bodybuilding shows, sometimes it is horrifying to see the water retention mixed with dehydration, ultimately distending the gut creating a lot of hernias, muscle tears, etc. As I have gotten off track getting more into the medical aspect of these drugs, I believe there needs to be an advocate for the sport.
Very seldom does the government come after professional bodybuilders and steroid use. In fact the DEA has spent more time going after supplement companies than anything else.
So back to the basketball team I worked for. Many of the athletes took many different types of steroids. Testosterone, HGH, anti-estrogens were used, diuretics, but they were all overseen by doctors and specialists. In a sport that there is no disallusion that they do not use steroids, to bring the sport back to the epitome of health, we need better education to the public on what steroids do. A better inside look on what the athletes do. And a committee of doctors/gurus who are allowed or rather mandated to serve professional bodybuilders as the level of success of the bodybuilder should not come from the amount of money they have. Legitimizing the sport as a sport. I feel as if it's underground now. The people's ignorance of bodybuilding, but also the ignorance of many of the bodybuilders.
There are great examples for the bodybuilding community within their own athletes. But all aspects of the sport need to be spoken of more openly by people within the bodybuilding community. As of now, the ignorance in multimedia, with the person/s who knows nothing of the sport, of the world, of the dedication and commitment it takes, who have no medical degree, who have probably never touched a weight in their life, who have never eaten right, who have no idea what they are talking about are the ones who are being heard.
Ignoring the truth is ignorance. When something happens, you can't pretend it's not and expect it to go away. Personally I would like to see more retired bodybuilders join together for the sport and educate the masses on it. When I was a kid, bodybuilding was all over tv. Though steroid usage was the same, the admiration of the athlete and their physiques and what they had did to get these physiques is what was seen. It's almost as if the notice of steroids in other sports has created an ignorance within people, mass media/multimedia, and bodybuilding as a result is fading away. I do not want to see the sport go. If you like bodybuilding, but don't like the use of steroids, well that's why they have natural bodybuilding competitions as well.
And just like any medication, and let's make this clear, that's what steroids are: they are not for everyone. We need people within this sport who help create it such as Arnold Schwarzeneger, Louie Ferrigno, Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, and many others to speak up and let people see the inside world of bodybuilding. We need to get over the steroid usage. The IFBB and the NPC need to take a hard look at where bodybuilding is going and see that many of the athletes are out of control; but their builds, the distension of their waist is not all to do with drugs. We have lost a lot of good competitions such as the Iron Man Pro.
When you see an actor get in great shape in a months time, if you are foolish enough to believe they are not using steroids, as somehow this would degrade them getting in any type of physical condition that was worthy of being seen on a movie screen, what you are doing is picking and choosing why and who can use these drugs. When actors get in shape for a movie they have nutritionists, trainers, performance enhancing specialists and they don't pay a cent. In fact it raises the amount of money that the movie will make so the movie studios invest into these actors simply for a movie and they make hundreds of millions of dollars off from these films. And everybody knows it. This is what we need to be seen. What needs to be done in the sport of bodybuilding.
It needs to be a sport, invested in by the federations that oversee it. Steroids are a reality. Just like any civil right, if a person wants to use them and it harms no one else, then why should we care and why should there be a negative connotation to it. People like Arnold took muscles from the bodybuilding world and created a desired look to spread throughout the entire world. I hear retired athletes saying that after 25 years of using steroids, I don't advocate them. This is contradicting within itself. So what I am hearing is that after you were successful in your chosen sport, and reaped the benefits, now you say I don't agree with them. But then these retired athletes still participate in bodybuilding events; whether judging or expos, or simply meet and greets.
I want to see professional bodybuilders take more responsibility, but it is very difficult when they have to do this on their own. When they don't have their own federation backing them up. What we are seeing now is that the science of the sport is being lost, but is very difficult for the athlete to do what they have to do when they have to juggle it all themselves; where in no other sport is this the case. In other sports they are having a multitude of people help them. And ultimately steroids is a supplement that enhances performance. If we can get back to the core of bodybuilding with the support of people and bring back aesthetics, and that thrill to see a muscular build, that would be a start of bodybuilding flourishing again. There are many people who have mastered the art of bodybuilding and everything that is entailed with the sport There are many great athletes that have incredible builds that may never see the level of success because everything they do comes out of their own pocket. It is the only sport where the athlete spends more on themselves for performance and health than they get in return.
If I were actively part of the world of bodybuilding and maybe this will happen someday, as of now I play music and write movies and act, my health issues have affected me in my chosen fields. Though I have competed naturally in a couple bodybuilding events and placed first in both of them, and had qualified to compete in the World's Strongest Man, I was not able to do this because of my health,but again, when I get better,this is something I would really like to do for the sport of bodybuilding. And I will say, exclusively, that by no means should you believe that strong men don't use steroids either. Before going on, creatine, which has revolutionized supplementation, and is the most recommended supplement for all autoimmune diseases, was in jeopardy of being classified as a steroid. So without knowing anything medically about these drugs, but specifically having an experience through taking them, please do not listen to the opinion of people who have no idea what they're talking about because they have learned through the propaganda of multimedia. Frankly, they are sheep.
I would want to be one of the people who invest, not in the sport, but in the individuals who are the sport. And for the up and coming bodybuilders we need mentors, coaches, doctors, trainers, nutritionists; as in the sport of football you're drafted and they basically state what you are worth and they invest in the future of the person, of the team and of the organization, in this case that would be the NFL. I don't see bodybuilding doing that for the athletes.
And personally there is nothing worse than individuals hiding the use of steroids. This comes more in the world of acting and other sports than in the sport of bodybuilding. It is proven that if the people want something, it will happen. And just like in every aspect of life it comes down to money. There are a lot of great bodybuilders out there and few get the recognition that is deserved. And it has almost become a niche where there is almost a cult following that comes from magazines, going to the shows personally, or through multimedia. And this has been a disaster for sports like bodybuilding.
The people who have gotten incredible success from the sport need to give back to it. As I said, by taking time to teach, to coach, to mentor, to educate. For instance the Weiders. Reg Park. And several others. This was something that happened years ago. It is not happening as often now. As bodybuilders are getting older and older before they reach any level of success. Yes there are a lot more bodybuilders today. But there is a lot more advancement in science and nutrition than there ever was before; so it comes down to the IFBB and the NPC taking the power and the voice out of multimedia and putting it back into the organization that they represent and run. And into the individual athlete.
You could have the greatest build in the world and never be noticed, because you are not recognized by your own organization. When I was younger, I knew about every bodybuilder that there was. And now there is a small group. Every once in a while, I will see someone on Twitter, Facebook, and I have no idea who they are, but when I Google search them Google has no idea who they are, and I think, this could be the next Mr. Olympia the world should not have to know who you are before the organization that you represent and support, represents and supports you. I also see 50 year old men with incredible builds that have dedicated their life to health, not just for themselves but for others. It shows that multimedia can be a great source to bring bodybuilding back to the forefront. But it is being overran by the people who know nothing about it.
The athletes, individually, do not have the power to bring the sport back. We have to make bodybuilding a team sport and this starts from the federations and the people who have gained so much from the sport, giving back so that it does not die out. This must be a team effort, and it must start with someone standing up in advocation for the sport.
In ending I will also speak about the fact that there are only two recognizable competitions anymore, the Arnold Classic and the Olympia. This does not give exposure to the sport or opportunity to the athlete. Personally I don't like the fact that if you are the Olympia champion, you don't have to compete in any other contest. This is not a good example, as most pictures of the athlete are used from the few months that they are training to compete for the Olympia, or the Arnold Classic. Where many bodybuilders keep in shape year round and this is how the sport was done years ago. It was a lifestyle. They would cycle off their steroids, keep on lifting, and then go back on them for a short period of time. Though this is not what I am talking about as far as usage, it would give us a better understanding about the health benefits of bodybuilding if we were to see these competitors year round. And to give you one example of this, it would be as if the Boston Red Sox won the world series and never had to play another game and automatically went to the world series the next year. It doesn't make any sense.
So I think that there needs to be a revamping of the sport. And I believe the individuals that are now in their 50's or older, that may still compete, but definitely still lift, along with the IFBB and the NPC, should get together and take the time to invest in their own sport.
~Joshua Jet Vaughan~
Monday, July 6, 2015
Just my Thoughts- Gay marriage
At The Greatest Stories Ever Told we live by love. No matter what our political, religious views or otherwise are, we believe that everybody deserves love, and that's the only way that we are going to change the world.
Here's my thoughts, though, on the recent Gay Marriage passage.
First, no matter what my personal views are on same sex-marriage, the fact is the that it was inevitable that it was going to pass. Not only that, but as a heterosexual, happily, blissfully married woman, it will never personally effect me. Heck, even straight couples say it's only a piece of paper, so is it really speaking to moral ambiguity that we allow same sex marriage?
Second, and my husband and I have discussed this before, what if you removed anything sexual from the equation. I know it was meant to be a comedy, but look at that Adam Sandler movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. I never actually saw the movie, but the premise has to apply to several instances. How many heterosexual couples get married out of convenience, especially today in a failing economy. If you have two best friends who have been there for each other, let's say both widows or widowers, and they want to make sure that their best friend is taken care of financially or otherwise after they pass, without the money to have a proper will written up any family member could contest an inheritance after passing and moreso, you can not leave financial retirement packages, such as a 401k or pension package to a loved one outside of a spouse. So it just disappears when you die. This way two men or women could get married, with sex completely inconsequential to their relationship, and know that the other will be taken care of.
Thirdly, if we are going to allow equal rights as far as same sex marriage applies, then we have to also acknowledge and protect the rights of those who don't believe in it, whether it be politically or religiously, we all have the right in the United States of America to believe and stand convicted in our faith, regardless of what it is for. If a bakery doesn't want to make a wedding cake for a same sex marriage, it is not grounds to sue them. Guess what! They can refuse to make a pornographic cake for heterosexual bachelor party too! Go to a different bakery. That's what makes America great, there's always another place to go to near by if it involves a high amount of junk food. I bet there are four more right on the same street! And to drag someone's name through the dirt just because they refuse service, no one would make a homosexual stand in a picket line to oppose gay marriage, it would be ludicrous and seen as tormentous. The same thing as churchs. Ministers, priests, etc should not be facing potential civil suits because they refuse to perform the ceremony. My question is, why do you care if they don't want to perform it. In fact, You shouldn't want them to if they are opposed to it. Your wedding day, male/female, gay/straight, should be all about the love that you share with the person you are marrying. In my opinion if you and your to be spouse is getting all up in arms about something so trivial, then you shouldn't be getting married in the first place if you are allowing the focus of your wedding day to drift from the love you share to a petty fight with someone who simply disagrees with you. That is the beauty of America. We don't have to agree with each other.
As far as politicians go, their job is to protect and support the rights of the people they represent. That is why we vote them into their various offices. As such, their religious and personal views on a topic such as gay marriage should not come into play. For instance Mike Huckabee. I'm sorry Mike, but if you want to preach, then find a pulpit not a political platform. Your job is not to represent God in this way, but to represent the people's interest. And being overweight and out of shape, you can not claim to be living righteously by God. Especially when you have no financial problems to prevent you from eating right. (A topic I would love to discus further another time.) God says to treat your body as a temple dedicated to him. Well, even from the Christian standpoint, if you believe that homosexuality is a sin, you don't have the right to judge if you are not living perfectly. My husband pointed out the other day a perfect example. Whatever happened to What Would Jesus Do? Do you think that Jesus would be out in the streets stoning homosexual couples as they exit a courthouse or church after their wedding? Or do you think he'd be drawing a line the sand for the picketers and saying if anyone of you have not sinned let you cast the first stone?
Basically what I'm saying is this. Republican, Democrat, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Gay, Straight, it doesn't matter. The only way we will have peace in America is to agree to disagree. That's what our founding father's built this country on. Everyone having a say and everyone having rights. We've had our moments where we've delved into keeping those rights from others, but if we agree to disagree and stop being so sensitive, then everyone would get along fine. The constitution was written to give everyone rights and the pursuit of happiness... but most people don't read the whole thing. The pursuit of happiness as long as it doesn't deny someone else their rights. (Obviously I'm paraphrasing) but an extreme example would be murder. You don't have a right to murder someone because it makes you happy because that would be taking away their rights. Well, in this case it is the same. You have the rights as a homosexual couple to get married, but you don't have the right to attack someone who doesn't approve of it and force them to make your wedding cake. Problem solved. Go to a bakery that does support same sex marriage, or that doesn't care either way. That's two thirds of the options in your favor.
All I'm saying is once you have what you have been fighting for, stop looking for a fight. Same-sex marriage was inevitable. As one friend put it, can we just call it marriage now? And as a comedian said Just because gay marriage is legal doesn't make it mandatory. Let's get off our high horses and leave each other alone. Let's choose to love one another, no matter what our differences or disagreements are, because we are all human beings with hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits that need caring for. Let's overlook each other's misgivings and heal instead of hurt, no matter what the problem is. And let's look at ourselves before we begin to judge someone else.
~Anna Bella Vaughan~
Here's my thoughts, though, on the recent Gay Marriage passage.
First, no matter what my personal views are on same sex-marriage, the fact is the that it was inevitable that it was going to pass. Not only that, but as a heterosexual, happily, blissfully married woman, it will never personally effect me. Heck, even straight couples say it's only a piece of paper, so is it really speaking to moral ambiguity that we allow same sex marriage?
Second, and my husband and I have discussed this before, what if you removed anything sexual from the equation. I know it was meant to be a comedy, but look at that Adam Sandler movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. I never actually saw the movie, but the premise has to apply to several instances. How many heterosexual couples get married out of convenience, especially today in a failing economy. If you have two best friends who have been there for each other, let's say both widows or widowers, and they want to make sure that their best friend is taken care of financially or otherwise after they pass, without the money to have a proper will written up any family member could contest an inheritance after passing and moreso, you can not leave financial retirement packages, such as a 401k or pension package to a loved one outside of a spouse. So it just disappears when you die. This way two men or women could get married, with sex completely inconsequential to their relationship, and know that the other will be taken care of.
Thirdly, if we are going to allow equal rights as far as same sex marriage applies, then we have to also acknowledge and protect the rights of those who don't believe in it, whether it be politically or religiously, we all have the right in the United States of America to believe and stand convicted in our faith, regardless of what it is for. If a bakery doesn't want to make a wedding cake for a same sex marriage, it is not grounds to sue them. Guess what! They can refuse to make a pornographic cake for heterosexual bachelor party too! Go to a different bakery. That's what makes America great, there's always another place to go to near by if it involves a high amount of junk food. I bet there are four more right on the same street! And to drag someone's name through the dirt just because they refuse service, no one would make a homosexual stand in a picket line to oppose gay marriage, it would be ludicrous and seen as tormentous. The same thing as churchs. Ministers, priests, etc should not be facing potential civil suits because they refuse to perform the ceremony. My question is, why do you care if they don't want to perform it. In fact, You shouldn't want them to if they are opposed to it. Your wedding day, male/female, gay/straight, should be all about the love that you share with the person you are marrying. In my opinion if you and your to be spouse is getting all up in arms about something so trivial, then you shouldn't be getting married in the first place if you are allowing the focus of your wedding day to drift from the love you share to a petty fight with someone who simply disagrees with you. That is the beauty of America. We don't have to agree with each other.
As far as politicians go, their job is to protect and support the rights of the people they represent. That is why we vote them into their various offices. As such, their religious and personal views on a topic such as gay marriage should not come into play. For instance Mike Huckabee. I'm sorry Mike, but if you want to preach, then find a pulpit not a political platform. Your job is not to represent God in this way, but to represent the people's interest. And being overweight and out of shape, you can not claim to be living righteously by God. Especially when you have no financial problems to prevent you from eating right. (A topic I would love to discus further another time.) God says to treat your body as a temple dedicated to him. Well, even from the Christian standpoint, if you believe that homosexuality is a sin, you don't have the right to judge if you are not living perfectly. My husband pointed out the other day a perfect example. Whatever happened to What Would Jesus Do? Do you think that Jesus would be out in the streets stoning homosexual couples as they exit a courthouse or church after their wedding? Or do you think he'd be drawing a line the sand for the picketers and saying if anyone of you have not sinned let you cast the first stone?
Basically what I'm saying is this. Republican, Democrat, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Gay, Straight, it doesn't matter. The only way we will have peace in America is to agree to disagree. That's what our founding father's built this country on. Everyone having a say and everyone having rights. We've had our moments where we've delved into keeping those rights from others, but if we agree to disagree and stop being so sensitive, then everyone would get along fine. The constitution was written to give everyone rights and the pursuit of happiness... but most people don't read the whole thing. The pursuit of happiness as long as it doesn't deny someone else their rights. (Obviously I'm paraphrasing) but an extreme example would be murder. You don't have a right to murder someone because it makes you happy because that would be taking away their rights. Well, in this case it is the same. You have the rights as a homosexual couple to get married, but you don't have the right to attack someone who doesn't approve of it and force them to make your wedding cake. Problem solved. Go to a bakery that does support same sex marriage, or that doesn't care either way. That's two thirds of the options in your favor.
All I'm saying is once you have what you have been fighting for, stop looking for a fight. Same-sex marriage was inevitable. As one friend put it, can we just call it marriage now? And as a comedian said Just because gay marriage is legal doesn't make it mandatory. Let's get off our high horses and leave each other alone. Let's choose to love one another, no matter what our differences or disagreements are, because we are all human beings with hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits that need caring for. Let's overlook each other's misgivings and heal instead of hurt, no matter what the problem is. And let's look at ourselves before we begin to judge someone else.
~Anna Bella Vaughan~
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Joshua's Jams
I was taking some time to play a little guitar, trying to get back into the groove of things and my wife, Mrs. Anna Bella Vaughan, for the second time that I know of recorded me on her phone. This is what she caught in the act.
~Joshua Jet Vaughan~
~Joshua Jet Vaughan~
Sharing and Caring/ Mr. Aldo Baker
Today we will be sharing a post from Mr. Aldo Baker. We will also be sharing a link to his page and feel free to check out GSET's Twitter page as we will be posting his blogsite on our page as our goal is to not only share the stories about our founder, Joshua Jet Vaughan, but also other stories as well as meaningful information. We want to say, as our founder is busy at this team, that we at GSET and his wife Anna Bella Vaughan are authorizing the sharing of this new post. Thank you for reading.
~GSET/Anna Bella Vaughan
~GSET/Anna Bella Vaughan
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