Taxes are the price that the middle class pays to ensure that the poor do not kill the rich.
Who’s this 22 year old kid with a chip on his shoulder and his heart on his sleeve?
Interacting with as many people, places, habits, and resources as possible that have a social norm that oozes a high standard of quality, performance, effort, whatever the variable, will work its way into your norms. Yes, believe ti or not, fi you spend al your time climbing with good climbers (good in some respect, not necessarily grade, maybe just effort level) it rubs off on you without you even knowing it. It's quite a marvellous feeling when it happens. If none of your climbing mates train, will you go and train on your own while they go to the pub? If you live in the Spanish Basque country and everyone trains (and hence climbs 8c including the females these days), will you stick at VS? Of course there is a balance to be struck between your climbing goals compromising the places and people you spend your time with, but most peoples balance has room to shift a little. You only get one life and there are many paths through it; you might as well choose a good one. For most, widening the net of partners you climb with and just being aware of their negative influence will be enough to help you nurture better norms for yourself and set a nice balance between one type of fun (improving at
climbing) and other types.
