This week’s post was written as a guest post for the UK-based Chalkbloc.com. I’ll admit, there’s a bit of controversy here. I love climbing as much as the next guy, but I believe that full pursuit of the sport can leave us a bit unbalanced. Steve Bechtel, in his interview here last week, rightfully points out that no one is really all that balanced. You’ll hear no argument from me, but we might as well try. Financial stability is very simple, but not necessarily easy. Let’s see what it really takes to find the freedom we’ve been longing for.
Full Pursuit of Climbing Isn’t Full Freedom After All
The common sentiments expressed in the climbing world are admittedly very alluring: follow your dreams, reject societal norms, and climb as much as possible. Collect experiences and freedom instead of material objects and wealth. I get that, and I understand the magnetic pull of rock climbing. After all, this is the world’s best sport, right?
The problem with sliding life’s other ambitions to the back burner is that we often are trading financial stability. Even more broadly, we might also be trading balanced life satisfaction.
In the US at least, the glorification of the dirtbag can unfortunately be a glorification of immediate gratification. Instead of gaining the experience of using grit and determination to find a work/life balance, are we just defaulting to the object of our immediate desires? It wouldn’t be fair to point the finger at all who embrace the dirtbag lifestyle. Certainly, some are leveraging the power of online gigs to live a fully-funded digital nomad life, at least for now.
Instead of considering the social implications of foregone financial stability, are we putting too much emphasis on the experiences of our youth in exchange for long-term well-being and healthy relationships? Are we bypassing crucial and meaningful learning experiences that will serve us for decades to come?
Read more of this post over at Chalkbloc.com.
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