Page 34 - Nate Fitch, Ron Funderburke "Climbing Knots"

the harness to be used in a certain way, and it
would be prudent to heed that wisdom. Even
though I was attached to my tie-in practice up to
that point—I was even proud of it—I had no choice
but to amend my practice. My experiment with
tying in the belay loop was over.
If all climbers are equally thoughtful and tact-
ful and they discuss best practices and ropework
with each other, it is conceivable that our conversa-
tion will be more educational and productive. If my
knowledgeable friend had chided me too harshly,
or used polarizing language to describe my tie-in
practice, I might not have been persuaded by her
reasoning so quickly. She was respectful enough
to listen to me, hear the gap in my reasoning, and
offer constructive insights. She never told me I
was wrong, or dangerous, or bad, because those
absolute terms didn’t really capture the nature of
my misunderstanding. I wasn’t wrong, nor was I
particularly dangerous. But I did not have all the
information I needed to COPE with my decision.
I’m glad she guided me so gracefully, and I think
of her when I strive to do the same for others. —RF

The Application Heuristic 21