I've really enjoyed following your journey. Your experience here is another fascinating way you're so perceptive, yet so dense (as I am in my life I fear). It doesn't seem like you understand what nerve you hit!

If I had to describe you to someone (of course we haven't met) I'd say 'no one believes in meritocracy and that hard work pays off more than Alexei' You're an over-reacher, over-achiever, etc. You run every day; you write; you work; you take care of your wife and four kids. How do you do it all? That's another conversation ;) Anyway, I'm not far from you philosophically. I tell my kids over and over 'stay productive no matter what'. They've tuned me out long ago ;)

I believe the reason you received a negative reaction is you unwittingly argued that the reason people crash at the end of a race is they don't know how to run--that they're stupid. They overestimated their abilities and not only did they fail (crash) but they can't enjoy the great feeling of accomplishing the success runners like you achieve who run "smart".

I know, you're just talking about how you feel. I know you didn't intend to insult anyone. I get it (again, as I do the same). And many others do too.

I've commented on many of your stories. You've stopped replying. I've predicted you will "crash" too, in a different way. Not in any single pursuit, but all the them at once, in a weird way, as happened in my life. But maybe I'm projecting. Who knows.

All I can say is this experience may be more telling than you realize. I never figured out a solution. Maybe you will.