All Is Creative: Rock-Climbing As A Metaphor For Life

I’ve been very into rock-climbing lately, I love it. I love watching it, I love thinking about it, I love the feeling when I’m climbing. I’ve only just started, and I’ve only done indoor top-rope climbing so far, and that doesn’t really matter. I feel an intense awareness when I do it, of my body, my balance, my strength, my energy, my thoughts. I strongly recommend the experience to many. I’ve been climbing with friends, clients, my brother, my dad, there’s some good bonding there. I’ve met many people at Toronto Climbing Academy and be-friended them since I began.

It’s an amazing and awesome contrasting activity to all the creating I do in front of my computer screen, and that’s not the only benefit. I’ve been finding so many metaphors between rock climbing and life in general. My friend Neel showed me some films from Sender Productions with some really great quotes from some really great climbers. They are some wonderful words that just flow naturally from these people who truly love climbing, and I’d like to take a deeper look at them.

"The moves that you do, are predicated upon the risk you’re willing to take. You’ve got one shot on this dustball, let’s have some fun." – Michael Reardon

Risk – I’ve written about risk before, and the metaphor of climbing seems so amazingly suited to it, so I won’t harp on it again. I can listen to climbers talk about risk all day and it always gets to me. If we learn to trust our feelings, we see that risk is simply a sign that we are about to take the next step in life. Its a sign we’re doing something new. Its a door to the ‘other side.’ Risk can be minimized, but never really done away with, with all kinds of safety gear and extra effort. The same goes for most things in life, you can minimize the risk involved to make it seem less scary, but one’s energy and attention are often much better spent with less worrying and fearing and mitigating, and more just doing it.

"What mattered to me was making a connection with that route, its basically just a relationship between a climb and a climber." – Sonnie Trotter

Motivation – I’ll talk about Sonnie a bit, I’ve wanted to pimp him out on my site for some time now. He’s an awesome climber, entrepreneur and an absolutely wonderful guy, and you can feel the incredible motivation and appreciation he has for what he does. His awesome love of climbing and life is infectious and touches everyone around him. You can tell he’s not in it for the money (and all the more reason for him to be showered with it — so buy his Fingerboards and climbing gear when his new website launches partially c/o Yours Truly! ) He’s humble and helpful and has a true passion for the things he does and the steps he takes. He. Is. Motivated. How does this apply to life in general? If you’re motivated by money/ego/fear or anything in line with those things –whether in business, sports, personal relationships, art, whatever — if you’re not doing it to connect with something greater and help the world, to me it seems like you’re asking for a harsh lesson. (Or of course, there

s always Alex Honnold’s similar motivation: "I do it for fun.")

"After a really hard situation, you relax and just … fly." – Robert Leistner

Falling – The majority of people in the world, when faced with a fall from an awkward height, whether provided with safety gear or not, feel scared. For some of us, a fall from 10 feet is scary, other people may not flinch at 40 or 60 or 100, a few (base-jumpers or zen masters or… me for example ) might not feel fear at all.

In climbing, the fear of falling holds one back from making the ‘big moves’ or from finding energy within oneself that seemed hidden, or from reaching the next good rest hold. In life, fear of ‘falling’ can prevent us from growing in our lives or taking ourselves to the next level. Clinging to one particular idea, emotion, or situation keeps us stuck in place, tethered.

"It makes you really love life y’know, scaring the hell out of yourself." – Ammon McNeely

The Unknown – Its been said that change is not death, fear of change is death. Many professional climbers are constantly seeking out ‘new lines’ to climb, whether that be a boulder in an undiscovered valley or an untouched peak on a well-known rock-face. Once they find a line, they may choose to make it their ‘project’, trying and practicing to climb it, then naming it and grading it for others who follow. Then they do it again. Even for myself in the gym, I enjoy picking climbs that are challenging for me, and practicing until I attain the focus and strength needed to send them. New horizons, new vistas, new levels are common in climbing and throughout life. People can choose to get stuck in a rut consciously or sub-consciously, but there is an extremely high chance that they’ll eventually get out of it, and look for something new. (Interesting side note: Ammon McNeely is known for taking frequent massive falls.)

"I didn’t want to accept that the idea that my vanity and my ego was the main thing in climbing, but I totally understand now…I came here for the wrong reason." – Didier Berthod On attempting a First Ascent of Cobra Crack.

Ego – Opinions are varied, but I personally feel very good about Didier Berthod. Didier’s story of his attempt to First Ascent Cobra Crack in B.C. is covered in the movie First Ascent, by Sender Films. Its a really gorgeous climb and an excellent film. Didier talks about lessons he’s learned while climbing and his personal growth past the ego, and learning to appreciate the climb for the creative aspects of it, rather than fame or renown. He speaks of God and his personal connection to God, on the rock and off. It’s really touching to me. How it applies: If someone reading this hasn’t had ego issues to deal with at some point or another in their lives, I’d certainly love to meet ya

"Just fuckin’ going for it… that’s what it is, just going for it." – Matt Segal

Fully Committing – This ties in a lot to falling, because generally the main thing preventing a climber from not fully committing to a move, is the fear of falling. You may hear people say they can feel someone is not "fully committed" in a relationship, or "half-assing" it in a job, perhaps because they are scared of being hurt/vulnerable or they fear being taken advantage of. They fear ‘falling.’ That’s not always it though, other factors can come into play, as seen in the next quote.

"I feel I’m trying to push myself physically and mentally…flip your mind from this raw power to a very calm state, so I spent the last few years on really focusing." – Lisa Rands

Focus – Michael Reardon, mentioned in the first quote, is a free soloist, one who climbs with barely any gear at all, in fact, he’s been known to climb completely naked. His philosophy is that if you have mastered something, such as the synchronous mental and physical grace (which is in the mind,) that represents true climbing, then you need no gear, aid, or protection at all… you are one with the rock. Your focus is ultimate. If your breathing is shallow, laboured or tense in any activity — if you are not focused, at ease, and relaxed — chances are you won’t accomplish what someone who was focused would accomplish with grace and ease and energy to spare. When one has mastered something, it looks and feels as simple and easy a walk in the park.

"How are we supposed to evolve when we’re so caught up in material things? Society is so anxious. We want so much and we want it all, now. Man … you need to work at it, you need to put in the time in order to be rewarded." – Ron Kauk

Letting Go – Sometimes growth is all about letting go, like a snake-shedding its skin, we must make space for something new. In climbing its a basic principle: A great way to test out the principle is to clench your fist as tight as possible and as small as possible, making a small ball, and keep squeezing. If you keep going you’ll end up in pain, and naturally, if you try to clench tighter thinking somehow the pain will lessen, it will only get worse. Eventually you won’t be able to hold on any more, and you’ll release your hand. No energy is required to let go, yet all the pain you felt begins fading straight away. It’s the act of holding on that causes pain, letting go releases it. Letting go frees you up to take a relaxed fall or to move your hands to better holds or whatever. There are things in life we cling to so strongly, physically or otherwise (unhealthy relationships or jobs are relatively common examples,) and only upon letting go of them does the pain start to fade and the healing begin. "Climbing consists of both stopping and moving. At each stance you stop rest and prepare; between stances you climb. You also need to blend these through a transition." This act requires a ‘letting go’ both mentally and physically.

"It just made me realize, God had pity on me…He made me understand that the only thing worth importance is the love of the creation, and not to have the glory on earth." – Didier Berthod

Accomplishment – It can feel good to ascend a climb no one else has climbed, the true accomplishment though, comes from within. For myself, when I climb, and feel more at home, more comfortable, stronger and more confident then I did on the last time I climbed, there is a great sense of accomplishment. Even if I ‘fail’ or give up, I tend to come away from the experience feeling like a better person. I feel accomplished, no matter what it looks like to outside observers. The same thing goes for things I do in life. I learned to make music recently, and I’ve yet to debut my first song, I put it aside for now and have focused on other things (like climbing,) and I still feel accomplished. My musical knowledge has expanded vastly and it has spilled into other areas of my life as well.

"They pull off these super-human feats, but nobody outside the canyon seems to notice." – Peter Mortimer

Acclaim – Peter Mortimer is the man behind Sender Films, maker of awesome films. He wanted to pay tribute to climbers he respected and admired, those whom he felt should be more well-known or in the media for their incredible balance, drive, and limits-pushing-ness. As a climber and filmmaker, he used his skills to spotlight others, and now I’ve had the pleasure of watching and listening to these phenomenal people, as well as the pleasure of sharing Sender Films with others. In life, praising and giving sincere acclaim and appreciation to others results in some very positive things, even if its as simple as helping that person smile all day. For myself, I’ve learned I have a phenomenal well of sincere praise to offer so many people, as I am constantly surrounded by astounding creative hearts and minds, from my family, to my friends, to my clients, to all you readers, and beyond.

"When you’re scared, when it seemed like it wasn’t gonna happen, all those things add to the joy of actually pulling it off." – Johnny Copp

Perspective – Almost universally, climbers will tell you that the view from the top of a climb is spectacular and touching. Many times we can feel this on a beach, up north at a cottage, watching a sunset, or in a forest. Anywhere relatively remote and filled with wild nature, is often said to affect a viewer strongly. Getting a different perspective physically is one thing, and similarly, a different perspective can be held on a non-physical level as well. Something simple such as running late for a meeting can be looked at as a deal-breaking, crushing setback or as the perfect opportunity to avoid an unpleasant appointment or to call a friend for a ride and some company or as a perfectly timed event to meet the love of your life. Its all perspective.

"[Sometimes I] get attached to wanting to do the climb…its best when I just feel natural…and I’m not worried about success or failure and I’m just kind of having fun and trying and letting it flow and thats where I need to be, but its hard to be there when you start getting neurotic about the whole thing." – Chris Sharma

I could talk on and on about patience, voices in one’s head, technique, practice, timing, etc. All these things come into play in everything in life. Reaching new heights as in life and in climbing, is about growth. Whether it be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or something else entirely, to describe it as growth just feels right.

With the more receptive senses, we now appreciated everything around us. Each individual crystal in the granite stood out in bold relief. The varied shapes of the clouds never ceased to attract our attention. For the first time we noticed tiny bugs that were all over the walls, so tiny they were barely noticeable. While belaying, I stared at one for 15 minutes, watching him move and admiring his brilliant red color.
How could one ever be bored with so many good things to see and feel! This unity with our joyous surroundings, this ultra-penetrating perception gave us a feeling of contentment that we had not had for years. – Yvon Chouinard

Thanks for reading,
-J.

Tags: all is creative, ego, life, risk, rock-climbing

Written by Jason Fonceca

Jason Fonceca is a visionary/creator with 25 years experience in writing, art, technology, spirituality, and many other disciplines. He's the author of the upcoming book "Idealution & Thoughtsperity," as well as the founder of SpiritSentient.com & JasonFonceca.com.

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