If Jesus was a climber — ethics in climbing

If Jesus was a climber, you know He’d be a member of the Access Fund and a champion of ethics in climbing.  You could also safely assume that He would easily beat you up the approach to the crag because of all the walking He did around the Holy Land.  Climbing?  Jesus would be all for clean climbing.  After all, He could teach you a lot about the world while you were climbing with Him.  I’m not trying to be sacriligious, here, but I am trying to point out that you may act much differently at the crag and while climbing if you were in the presence of Jesus than you normally do.  If this is the case, then you need to work on your ethics.  We need to preserve the beauty of the crags and approaches and wildlands for others while we enjoy them ourselves.  We need to make sure that we don’t pollute and litter all over the place or make others pick up after us.  We should pick up after others, even if they wouldn’t do it for us.  Leave the place better than you found it, wherever you are outdoors.  Think of the magnificence of the places that we get to see and touch and challenge ourselves outdoors!  Would Jesus be pleased if you wrecked His favorite crag with glue and manufactured holds?  The answer is NO.  I certainly hope that I don’t have to tell you that, but I’ll say it anyway in case you’re among those who would do such things.  We must be good stewards of the earth.  We only have one.  That’s it.  ONE.  So don’t wreck it.  When this pandemic settles down and we’re able to climb freely again, I hope we all take another look — a good, hard, sober look — at what we’ve been given and take care of it.  Take care of it the way you would if Jesus was a climber and He showed up to climb with you one day.  On belay!