Thursday 20 March 2014

Climbing Fear?




False Evidence About Reality!

What is Fear?  Consult an dictionary and you will see it as 'an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm'. Fear control us, it has since been there since ages. It controls our emotions, actions and thoughts. It is what drives us to things that we thought were impossible to do. You could say its a survival mechanism. As human beings we should be grateful that fear exits in our minds.

If you have ever read the Harry potter books you find something called Boggart in it.  Even though it is fictional , A boggart is an immortal shape-shifting non-being that takes on the form of the viewer's worst fear. Because of their shape-shifting ability, no one knows what a boggart looks like when it is alone, as it instantly changes into your worst fears when you first see it. Fear is like this boggart planted deep inside our minds.

 When people talk to me and  I tell them that I do rock climbing , that I am a rock climber, the first reaction is that ' Aren't you afraid?, Don't you think its to risky? '. The fear in their minds, makes them assume that since i climb and put my self in danger  and that I can never be scared and am fearless.  On the contrary since I often find myself in many a dangerous position while climbing , I am more aware of what FEAR is!

As a rock climber I can never ignore FEAR! Its there on my mind always. In fact I could say I have a very very strong and everlasting relationship with fear than the common person.The average person in today's society is hardly ever exposed to what fear is in the real sense unless, some  very unusual things happen in their life, but real mortal danger in the everyday life is a rare incidence.

 In today's world any fear of us being prays to natures predators has almost been negated except may be in some very remote, unexplored jungle. So this feeling of fear is all very repressed. Today fear is of the kind that develops out our inactive lifestyle which induces health related issue like high blood pressure, anxiety , diabetes etc. Our ancestors have always adapted to natures threats and developed a way to avoid these threats making the next generations more strong, fearless,s clever, patient.  So the common person is , what you can say is fearless and even go on to strike a comment " I can do that too' , But when faced with life threatening , dangerous situations like I face at times while climbing , They would probably, no mostly say that I am crazy and stupid. Fear is a state of mind and people are mostly afraid to go anywhere near fear, having made FEAR look like the boggart I mentioned earlier.!

Most people  think I am crazy. Living a life of a rock climber is not easy , what with daily affirmations from everyone around you like ' Man, you're crazy! What if you fall, What if the rope breaks? what if there is rock fall? what if ..... the list is endless. 

When on a climbing expedition its like as if I am on a pilgrimage. When I climb , nothing else matters, its just me and the rock, moving on each step further cautiously and carefully , concentrating on each move, where I have to find my way forward , up that tricky rock face, putting my best foot forward , challenging my self mentally and physically. It is at such a moment you realise , you are all alone. Your mind keeps challenging you, 'come on, can you do it? You think you are right? Are you doing the correct move? Have you placed the right gear? Everything depends upon you? This is fear, and this is the moment your mind replays your worst fears again and again. But you gain control and the climb resumes...This is that moment when you know and feel your heart pounding loudly, that wave of shiver down you spine, a moment of intense silence, and then you are up and ready to make that awesome and tricky move! 

These intense instances may take just a fraction of a second , but these are those moments you realise ' yes! I can ! . And it is this feeling which last a lifetime making you a responsible person ready to tackle obstacles in real life too.  Although there are times when even I fear failure, I Fear heights, even the possibility of death, I am a Human being after all and climbing doesn't change that. 

The realisation that I can face fears when climbing is what matters the most. This emotion of fear while climbing has given
 me an ability to distinguish between fear and a sense of insecurity. As I climb on and succeed in my climbs , the sense of achievement empowers me and the the struggles that I face  humble me, making me land safely back on my two feet! 





Climbing Is Fun. 

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