Andy Stumpf

Manners say that this is enormous social pressure placed on your ability to endure pain and is actually great training for a sport like running, where pushing through pain is so fundamental to success.

Circumcision, he says, teaches kids to withstand pressure and tolerate pain.

Manners says he thinks there's distinct advantage conferred on athletic kids who grew up in a pain-embracing society as opposed to Western pain-avoiding one.

Interesting.

Where is this at?

In Kenya?

It's a Kenyan tribe?

Yeah.

I mean, I'm going to be honest with you, Joe.

If that's what they did to your people, I would run pretty goddamn fast, too, because I would want to get the hell out of there.

Yeah, I think it's that, but I just think, you know, you're joking, obviously, but imagine if that's the norm, if that's your baseline, you're like accustomed to, that's the worst thing that you go through and you have to do it completely stoic.

At a young age.

At a young age.

You would develop some insane tolerance to discomfort, which- I don't know if one time is enough, though.

I mean, like what they're describing is horrendous, but true tolerance and resilience and ability to work through that stuff, I don't think it's a singular event.

Right.

Not that marathon running is an easy endeavor by any stretch, so they're continuing to do that.

I mean, I get what they're doing, that rite of passage, but holy hell, I mean, that's pretty gnarly.

That's a thing that you will see from ex-fighters and even ex-military guys.

Like, what they endured when they were young was so brutal that as they get older, they avoid any discomfort at all.