Repost: Baba's Sermon on Negativity

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Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 24, 2004 - 09:19pm PT

In the sprit of making the transition from election and personality negativities to holiday good feelings and some balance between the hate and the love, I'm reposting my sermon on negativity for those who might consider a different perspective on the future direction of internet spray.

For those those who just love to road rage, you can enjoy flaming me on this thread.

PEace

karl
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Baba's Sermon on Negativity

A lot of the Internet Forums that I enjoy often get wrapped up in flame wars and negativity. I think that's unfortunate as it makes folks miserable and degrades the effectiveness of the communication. When things got really grim once, I posted the following essay in an attempt to provide a perspective for folks who wanted to get off the wheel of negativity:

My experience is that when that I harbor ill will for "enemies" in my heart, I lose the ability to enjoy peace and love in my life. So, for my own selfish reasons, I don't retain any negative feelings about any of ya'll whether you deserve it or not. You're all forgiven whether you need it or not!

It makes me sad to see folks, that I know to be good folks, having bad feelings towards each other since I believe they would be fine with each other if they met on the stone rather than on the screen. I accept that too since it's human nature.

I love to be right, not wrong! We all do. My girlfriend and I have a game where the partner who can prove he or she is right gets to gloat in a good natured way. The problem is that being right is over-rated. It gains little of the popularity, respect, or honor that we imagine it affords. In this climbing game, there are plenty of gray areas too. The gear or practices that we argue about are rarely the real cause of accidents. More dangerous are inattention, fatigue, ego, and bad karma.

I'm a little clueless about who's right or wrong in endless debate/flame threads. I get bored and ignore them when they lose all spark of life, humor, or reality.

It's transparent when politicians ignore the real issues, don't address the main rational points in a debate, but rather obfuscate, pontificate, and regurgitate. It's worse when climbers do it since we aren't trying to get elected. It garbles communication, which in turn erodes the role and value of truth in human relations.

I think its fine that folks point out the potential errors in the opinions posted here. Whether you are nice or nasty about it only reflects on you and affects the quality of your life. Personally, after folks state their case, I think it's wise to agree to disagree rather than push harder and harder back and forth, proving nothing and impressing no-one.

Nobody should take my word for it. Look deeply at your life and witness the negativity that little grudges, enemies, and hatreds breed in your heart. If you forgive all, you can enjoy undivided tranquility without ruminating on insults and slights that pile up with time. Don't worry, the folks you let off the hook suffer plenty on their own without your help.

Peace and Love

Karl "Dang Californicatin Hippie" Baba

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Nov 24, 2004 - 09:40pm PT

Nice Karl! I agree with your sentiments whole heartedly...

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 24, 2004 - 10:26pm PT

Dude, I posted that from my spider hole, which has wireless (dial-up) internet.

Course I understand that having peace of mind and doing first ascents of A5 death routes are completely incompatible, so you're excused from aspiring to sanity.

The effluent from my pie hole is for the other 90% of climbers who live to climb but plan on continuing to live.

Peace

karl

bigwalling

climber

Nov 24, 2004 - 10:30pm PT

F*#K THE HOLIDAYS!

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 24, 2004 - 10:44pm PT

Dude, you have the "Pound" sign and the "Ass" sign in the middle of your "F#*K"

Is that some kind of secret code like wearing an earing on a certain side or something?

;-]

Karl

Jay

Trad climber

Fort Mill, SC

Nov 24, 2004 - 11:42pm PT

Nicely put Karl. I admire your sentiments.

I'd like to add that behind all the ranting, arguing, pissing and flaming is something we all carry with us. I especially notice it in climbers, maybe cause I've met so many. The thing I'm talking about is pride. If you think about it pride is the opposite of love and respect. In the end the only thing it serves is your ego. Since it can only be used for self-centeredness it is our worst enemy when it comes to building relationships. Isn't it funny that we always detest pride in other people yet we show it all the same in ourselves? I often wonder how I can be so full of myself knowing that if I was someone else looking at me I'd be disappointed, maybe disgusted. On the other hand I give myself lots of slack. We should practice that with others too, I think that's what you're talking about Karl, is it not?

I admit even my pride is involved just writing this post.

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 24, 2004 - 11:52pm PT

I think the reason folks get negative aren't so simple that one size fits all. Being human is inherently dysfunctional. Folks who get interested in rockclimbing aren't generally inhibited by the expectations of polite and domesticated society so their good and bad sides burst out. Plus climbing ain't normal and neither are climbers.

So it can be ego, pride, road (or work) rage, pms, testosterone poisoning, or a number of other things.

Peace

karl

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 25, 2004 - 01:38pm PT

No problem Jody, maybe somebody will click on the link and buy pictures!

The funny thing is that when that "bugged" picture originally got posted, the code in the bottom didn't work cause I accidentally finished it with a } instead of a ].

Once this photo got "bug posted" over here, I edited the original code on my photo thread, and now I see that it's fixed here too.

PEace

karl

TheMaestro

Big Wall climber

Yosemite

Nov 25, 2004 - 04:36pm PT

Yo, to all those out craggin' today, right on. I wish I was.

Happy tofurkey day ya'll.

Peace,
Eli Hughes
Yosemite, CA

alasdair

Trad climber

scotland

Nov 26, 2004 - 06:54pm PT

I like that piece Karl and i think the comments about pride were interesting. You can't give up all pride cause its tied in with self respect. swinging leads up hard climbs is a crazy mixture of the two.You don't let your mate down and as a result get a great charge out of not letting yourself down.

lad

Trad climber

near Fresno, CA

Nov 28, 2004 - 05:11am PT

I'm liken it Karl! Climbers are given the chance to surely realize how ego cometh before the fall, something to be keen about. This is known as old truth, and surely lives in the heart of the true climber - to be humbled by the route, the crux, the journey.
We love being better climbers than fallers. We've become better fallers, because of our love for climbing :D We've seen our love, our passion for climbing grow opposite of our fear, and we've grown stronger hearts for the effort. So, I have known you, and can hear your peace. You've even taken on an old friend of mine as well, and have taken good care. I can see that in your words and pictures.
This sense of adventure spirit still exists for us despite the "negativity" as not even. I've seen what's good and great rekindled in new hearts, aspiring, and camping with their crash pads as a bed.
Do continue in word and deed - I hope we'll cross paths again one day.

cheers

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 28, 2004 - 09:54am PT

Hey Will

Thanks for the kind words. Your post had a little of that "written at 2 am" flavor to it! LIfe is good.

Carry on

Peace

Karl

nature

climber

Flagstaff, AZ

Dec 1, 2004 - 01:50pm PT

Since I'm taking a hiatus from not posting to these threads (probably ends here for alteast another week) I figured I'd add this one since it stuck in my craw.

Judy wrote: "Now if you could get all of your liberal friends to quit saying bad things about Bush"

Maybe if he didn't do bad things people wouldn't say bad things about him. Simple logic that seems to miss with a few folks around here (logic that is).

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2012 - 11:23pm PT

I'm bumping this one to, as it's ironic we're coming out of another contentious election (this one was better than 2004 for me) and into the Holidays

Bless

Karl

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Nov 22, 2012 - 11:42pm PT

being right is over-rated
Repeat after me. Karl is right.

Grazie!

turd

climber

Nov 23, 2012 - 03:49am PT

Thanks Karl

couchmaster

climber

pdx

Nov 23, 2012 - 11:46am PT

Best thread revival of the week Karl:-)

cuvvy

Sport climber

arkansas

Nov 23, 2012 - 11:27pm PT

Yeah baba brah!
Youre an inspiration to all! Keep the postive flow man. Free love peace and good smoke!
Hell yeah! Karma religious freedom and bra burning! Vegan eats and adopt a child!
Whacko hippies and peace ins!
Voice of love man!!!!