Faustian Bargains

I’ve brought my newest rock shoes, Evolv Shaman’s, to the crag. These shoes cost me, well, let’s just say a lot. A bit less than they are now (the Aussie dollar has crashed) but they were still eye-wateringly expensive. The Shaman’s are an “edging shoe” designed for standing on small edges on steep walls, which is exactly what we are doing today. Of course, they are not quite as good as my old Rockette’s, which is, I often think, a metaphor for life in the developed world. Maybe not quite as good as it used to be.

PC: H. Mutch

The world will never see another Rockette, not unless there is a revolution. Because a shoe, or any other piece of clothing or equipment called “Rockette” would be considered a sexist slur and no-one would buy them. It would be like making pink skis or backpacks, a sexist statement that assumes an assigned gender and is definitely misogynistic. The Rockette’s however, were awesome shoes. I could climb a grade or two harder when I put them on as I could balance on tiny little edges on steep walls, edges the size of a five cent piece on edge! About the only time when climbing that Doug would say “I just don’t know how you get your feet to stick.” It wasn’t me, it was the shoes.

I’ve still got a pair because I bought a couple of pair when they were on sale due to being “old stock.” They’ve been resoled, and are soft as a slippers now, with great strips of rubber rand hanging off and the leather heel box ripping, but I wear them on some routes and immediately feel invincible. It’s the shoes, it’s always been the shoes.

I’m not quite sure why the Shaman’s are not as good as the Rockette’s. We assume all progress is upward and linear, but I don’t think that is necessarily the case. Compared to my youth - I grew up in Australia - our cities are so much more crowded and congested. The roads are grid-locked day and night, medical care is scarce, hospitals are full, a house costs so much money that my friends and relatives with adult children wonder if their off-spring will ever be able to afford a regular house within reasonable commuting distance of work. Is that better?

We have more stuff. Some people have an awful lot of stuff, so much stuff they need extra storage space to keep the stuff. I know I don’t get out much, but I’ve never met a single person who was really happier or more fulfilled because they had more stuff. Somehow, the stuff people always need just one more piece of stuff to reach nirvana.

We also cook less and buy prepared meals more. That should make people healthier and happier, but instead Australian’s are sicker, fatter and weaker than ever before. Fifty percent of Australian’s have a chronic illness and most of those illnesses are caused by lifestyle. “Caused by lifestyle” is a lot like “collateral damage” in a war. It’s a nice way of saying a hard thing, a euphimism. Caused by lifestyle means you ate yourself sick and unwell because eating high reward foods was more important than living a long and healthy life. Apparently we can afford this lifestyle, and somehow, we think we have the wherewithall to pay for the consequences when we cancer, diabetes or ASCVD (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) impacts us decades later. It’s like a long-term payment plan to the devil. We are happy in the moment but when Lucifer comes to take his due, suddenly the deal does not seem like such a great bargain.

Perhaps, life is a bit like visualising the moves on a rock climb before you leave the ground. Working out where the rests are, where you can place protection, the clipping stance, the crux, where you can shake out, all these things make the climb easier, smoother, and might even make the difference between your hardest send and falling and failing. We need to visualise how the decisions we make today will impact us tomorrow. Our individual lives can be better than they were last year, but that will require some hard moves and sacrifices. It’s either that or a Faustian bargain.