Day 315 - Blood Sports

war wound

It's always oddly satisfying to come away from an exercise session with some blood having been shed...as long as it's your own blood, that is.

I'm not a fan of any sport that involves trying to extract blood from someone else.

I suppose it's fair to say I'm largely indifferent if all parties are consensual (please feel free to do whatever you like), but if there are non-consensual parties, I strongly object and would seek to prevent any such activities from happening, should I witness them.

Fox hunting, for example...what the fuck is that about?!

You know I rarely use profanity on this blog - but I choose to here as a demonstration of how much I really don't get it...how does anyone get pleasure from the infliction of pain and suffering on another being?

I realise that some people do, and I suppose they would generally be well represented towards the right of the political spectrum...I'm looking at you, Daily Mail readers and Fox News watchers...

But I just can't get my head around it.

I do have a proposal for bringing some fairness to the situation for all concerned, and it's quite simple:

You have the right to hunt, shoot and kill others, if it's a free world...but if you do, then you relinquish the right not to be hunted, shot or killed by others.

Seems like fair dinkum to me!

However, all that said, pursuing any activity with such passion and determination so as to draw your own blood...well, that is to be applauded!

Play that guitar until your fingers bleed!  Run until your feet are blistered!

Climb until your skin is torn and bloody!

Today, I smacked my shin on a hold as I fell off the top of some gnarly (tough, in climbing parlance) problem.   I thought I'd just thumped it, but when I pulled my trouser leg up to look, I found that I'd gouged quite a chunk out of it.

Half an hour later, I looked again to find that the blood had soaked through my trousers, run down my leg, and stained my shoe...

bloody leg

Nice!

This isn't my worst (best?!) climbing injury - I broke my leg in 2012 falling from the impressive height of about 1m, and breaking my fibula even before I hit the ground...but then that's not such a great kind of injury, as you have to stop climbing for a bit.

Fortunately, today's is the best sort - lots of blood, not much pain, and no impediment to further climbing.

Like I said...nice!

B-)