Gather round ye heathens, ne'er-do-wells and sordid lots. It is time again to compete in the ritual known as climbing league. Where you will meet your betters and your worsers. Where you will come to know that the climb is not your enemy. The climb is the occasion for the dance and the enemy is yourself--your weaknesses and inadequacies and shortcomings. The goal is to, in some small incremental way, banish these parts of yourself by completing the climb and overcoming a past, lesser version of you. Constant evolution. The winnowing of one's own soul and being into a sharp jabby pointy stick that can pierce through all set before it, even the heavens perchance. The transmutation of the will into movement.
WE ARE WHAT WE WALK BETWEEN! WE ARE WHAT WE WALK BETWEEN!
What does that mean?! Does it mean that climbing is the motion between two holds? Does it mean that our being is the conduit between what is and what is not? Does it mean that our existence is the tension between two irreconcilable truths? Does it refer to the self we just were and the self we are about to become? Does it refer to the canyon style walls in the Main Room?
No one knows what it means but it's provocative. It gets the people going!
We have wiped the slate clean and now it is time for new trios to step forth and make their mark in the history of Rocky Top Climbing League. (name some teams)
And remember, the next time you fall off a climb, sit down on the mats and stare into the middle space between you and the wall or a person next to you and think, What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Why am I here right now? What does this mean? And then think about this quote from a book I read once,
"These questions had been considered a long time ago, decisions were made, answers recorded, and the book closed. If it had to be re-opened every time the going got rough, he would spend more time rationalizing than training."
Best of luck, climbers. May the chalk dry your hands and rest easy in your lungs.
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