One friend came up to me for climbing advice.
"How do I get stronger?", she started. "First, you think to think about your goals in climbing", I replied. I started talking about how motivation should be intrinsic, about how the impetus should first come from the climber. But before I could fully elaborate on my points, she cut in with another question, "So how many sets of PT do you think I should do?"
I was exasperated. Our conversation continued to meander endlessly in such a roundabout way. My points weren't hitting the mark, much less making an impact.
There and then, I knew the conversation had warped into a classic case of "Don't give advice unless the person is listening". I thought hard about how to extricate myself out of this predicament, and then the solution elegantly presented itself to me. I shall quote her a story.. One Lewis Carroll wrote in 1865.
"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?", said Alice.
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
Haha.. this definitely sounds commonplace in our community. I think I might've asked the same thing to many a senior climber myself. That being said, I've realized the most important answers to such questions can usually be found through introspection rather than by asking others (:
ReplyDeleteHeh. Come to think about it, I might have done the same thing once upon a time too. Alright, I'll try to be even more patient next time!
DeleteYeah I agree that the answer to the most intimate questions will have to be found from within, as opposed to being swayed in all directions by the ever-changing opinions of others.
I think it's very interesting to apply what I've read or what I've learned to climbing.. hence this post. Hope you enjoyed it!