These days, it seems as if writing about anything supposedly as trivial as climbing rocks is rendered cynical (at least as long as it´s seen as what matters and spins a personal universe), the wake of Japan´s recent earthquake (wait, there was an earthquake in the first place) and its aftermath of nuclear disaster should trouble everybody. Especially the latter should also give rise to a lot of questions, both relatively practical (do we want to rely on nuclear power) and rather abstract and philosophical (what do we live for, is emphathy really felt or rather a substitute for primary concern about oneself´s well being and health).
Living in Germany, I´m as far away from the whole disaster as I can be. Still, even though I´m in a safe spot right now, that doesn´t mean I´m not affected. I have friends in America that will be reached by any radiation sooner than I will. My thoughts are with them. Probably the ammount they´ll get won´t do much harm. I hope and we´ll see. It´s no longer a question we as humankind can address, we can (actually the brave workers can) only mend the consequences and desperately try to minimize (the word in itself is a euphemism in here) the impact. Action is gone and has been replaced by reaction. If action is entirely gone and reaction all that remains, do we live though?
Personally I don´t think so. And there climbing comes in. Or slacklining. Or playing the guitar. While it seems strange, selfish and ignorant to me that I worry about my project being wet from the rain, these days I don´t just do it because I am in project mode. I also do it because I cherish every moment at the crag and at the boulders these days because it allows me to live in the moment, have a time of not being at least subconsciously worried.
Yesterday I was lucky enough to have such a day in near perfection. In the early morning I went to Aschau with a friend of mine and checked out some new boulders...I did a couple of easy FAs in the V0 to V3 range and found, cleaned and to my surprise did a heinous deadpoint V7. After that I decided I wasn´t tired, hiked up to the Big Rocks after having my early afternoon coffee and fired of the FA of the project I had been cleaning the past two weeks.
"I say we're growing every day
Getting stronger in every way
I'll take you to a place where we shall find our
Roots bloody roots
Roots bloody roots
Roots bloody roots
Roots bloody roots
Rain bring me the strength to get to another day
And all I want to see
Set us free
Why can't you see?
Can't you feel this is real?
I pray we don't need to change our ways to be saved
That all we wanna be"
I called the problem Roots Bloody Roots. Both on account of that I like the song and the lyrics and that it actually took me to my roots. It´s freaking high, I had only one pad and if I had fallen I would have been seriously hurt. I dug deep and did it. Lived in this moment. Topped it out and realized that despite all that´s going on in this world, climbing is my way to live it, with all its beauty and grace, despair and sorrow.
If you climb, climb! If you slackline, slackline. If you´re fortunate enough to be able to do what you want and what makes you happy, do it but at times reflect and be gracious. Don´t take things for granted...or to close with Max Cavelara...
"I pray we don´t need to change our ways to be saved"
