Projecting

I recently read an profile in the New Yorker about veteran rock climber Tommy Caldwell. Caldwell’s deep sense of modesty and gratitude shine through in the reporting of his amazing exploits (he’s one of the world’s last explorers), The article interested me first because of its focus on rock climbing. As I read, I was drawn to the vernacular of rock climbing, the simple jargon used to describe seemingly impossible acts of strength and courage. Here’s a link to the article. It’s fascinating.

One of the terms I was drawn to was “sent.” Caldwell described a successfully completed route up a wall as being one that the climber ‘sent.’ No proof or documentation is necessary, no certificate of completion, only the word of the climber is necessary to prove that he has sent that route. A simple four letter word used in place of an amazing, death defying act, one that is 99% likely to kill you. And you ‘sent’ it. I am drawn to this sport that is so spectacular that its leading participants are (seemingly) the humblest of world class athletes.

Another term stood out. If a climber is studying a route and actively working a way to successfully master it, that they are “projecting.” The reporter William Finnegan writes of climbers and new challenges “ [b]oulderers are still finding new challenges, naming them - ‘projecting them’ as climbers say, with the emphasis on the first syllable, meaning they are working on something.”

As I understand it, the way climbers use the term ‘projecting’ encapsulates so many of the reasons I chose to name my website Narrate Project. Narrate is a work in progress. Narrate is trying to figure out the best methods for conducting personal interviews. How can people mark their lives and celebrate their time on Earth? We see the answer as recording the best versions of the stories you tell people. We think this is the ultimate result, and we are still working on the best solution. To borrow the climber’s vernacular, we’re projecting it. And we going to keep projecting it, until we’ve come up with the best solution.

Photo by Noah Sahady for the New Yorker.