When you imagine peace, there are certain images that come to mind. A tranquil meadow, a dove, a ceasefire being signed. These seem to align with how we tend to imagine peace. What you may not imagine when you think about peace is being face to face with a rock wall 5 meters off the ground, armed only with your strength and a pair of climbing shoes. While the idea of intentionally placing yourself in a position where you are afraid and could be seriously injured may initially seem like quite the opposite of a peaceful experience, the reality of climbing showcases a unique manifestation of peace .
Even before you start to climb, there is a structure of peace that surrounds your actions. Ropes must be tied correctly, equipment and harnesses checked and fitted properly, and trust built between you and your climbing partners. It is this trust that provides the first building block for making such an intense activity peaceful. Total trust in your gear and your people may not come easily, but it does come quickly. The experience of falling and being caught quickly tells the brain that it is okay to make mistakes, establishing a subconscious peace that allows the climber to put themselves outside of their comfort zone and know that they will still be safe.
The Way Up
Once on a climb, though, the mind clears. There is no room to think about anything but how your body is interacting with the rock. The methodical nature of the climb is grounding as every move must be intentional and thought out. The process is arduous, but satisfying, like you are doing a puzzle with your mind and body. Each part of the climb is a piece that fits into place as you move up the wall. And even when you encounter a tricky move that may take multiple tries to work out, there is peace in knowing that you are supported by your partner and your gear, and an incredible feeling of reward when you finally complete a difficult climb.
The View
At the top of the wall or the mountain, there is a sense of pride in being able to appreciate your accomplishments, which is reassuring and builds confidence for the future. Looking down to the ground from the top of a route provides a new perspective and a moment for pause and reflection. You can see how far you’ve come and appreciate a new, elevated view of your surroundings. This is the moment when you can see your hard work pay off, to take a breath of fresh air and allow your mind to relax. You can escape from the tunnel-vision-like state of the ascent and revel in a new perspective of where your progress has taken you.
The Way Down
Being lowered down a wall by a belayer or hiking back to the bottom of a rock provide a further peaceful moment of reflection. This time is an opportunity to be proud of yourself for your difficult accomplishments as well as a chance to be self-critical. Not self-critical in the sense of putting yourself down but looking carefully at what you did well and what can be improved on. This self-analysis is essential for self-improvement, both physically and mentally. In the process of climbing, you can feel yourself becoming stronger as you find yourself able to do harder and harder routes and as you overcome fears and doubts and gain confidence in yourself. These thought processes provide a path to greater inner peace.
What do you think?
- Are there connections between being in nature and being at peace? How do you interact with nature in your own life?
- How can peace be found in challenging situations? What effects does going outside your comfort zone or overcoming obstacles have on your sense of inner peace, both at the time and afterwards?
- Is inner peace something that comes easily or something we have to work for?
- Is it something inherently connected to privilege, to having leisure time or hobbies or access to unspoilt nature?
- How lasting is the inner peace that you can find through being in nature of challenging yourself physically? What does that tell us about how often inner peace needs re-making, re-finding?
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Samuel Huff, May 2024