So I actually wrote this a few weeks ago but never got around to posting it. Hopefully I'll be more diligent in the coming months, since it is climbing season....
The other night I watched "Into the Wild" and was completely captivated by the story and by Chris McCandless. Even though we come from different back grounds and different eras I feel we shared a lot of ideals and views on the world and of society. It has also made me think a lot about life and what I want to do with it, I'm still not sure on work but living a simple life with less is definitely appealing to me.
For the past year I really cut back on my consumption habits and have been trying to buy and use only the things that I need, rather then want, and I'm without a doubt much happier then I was when I was trying to have the coolest gadgets and gizmos. It's much less stressful and if it weren't for my student loans I would be able to go do what I want, (climb). I can't wrap my head around why, as a society, we feel that we need to have more shit and useless junk then we can use, or how we even came to be this way. The whole world has this problem but it seems to be even more evident in America. We eat more then needed, which causes obesity, use more then we should which creates a shortage of resources and feel we are entitled to have everything and anything we want. It's really amazing how we just blindly take and take and take with out ever thinking of the consequences of our actions, especially for parents. How do parents consume the mass quantities of goods available, and never think what kind of world they are creating for their kids.
I also can't wrap my head around how and why individuals treat each other with such disrespect and disregard. You see it on the street when driving and one person flicks another off or they are laying on the horn of their car in a fit of road rage. I've heard it with people talking about the war in Iraq and how the place should be nuked, with no regard for the innocent children or the farmer trying to raise his family.
I drives me insane sitting at work listen to co-workers talk about how America should construct a fence around the boarder to keep all immigrants out, as if they have a God given right to determine who belongs on this soil. How easy it is for us to forget the heinous acts that our founding fathers committed to claim this land; that we are only the 5th and 6th generation at most.
There are many times I feel trapped, trapped in my job and in Pittsburgh, afraid that I won't escape and be free to travel. I just hope that my distain for this job and the front I have to put on while I'm here will help push me to leave once my debt is gone. Until then I just have to make it though each week till I can go climbing on the weekend.
And speaking of climbing, I'm going to the New River Gorge this weekend for the first trip of the season and I am psyched. I just started climbing about 3 weeks ago after being off for 2 months because of a strained A2 pulley. I can not wait to get out there and send.
Well, I guess that's my little rant for today……….Peace
