By Theodora Kroeber

Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings:
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world.

In 1958 I wrote the following:

‘There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.’

I believe that these assertions still make sense and do still apply to the exploration of reality through art. So as a writer I stand by them but as a citizen I cannot. As a citizen I must ask: What is true? What is false?

Truth in drama is forever elusive. You never quite find it but the search for it is compulsive. The search is clearly what drives the endeavour. The search is your task. More often than not you stumble upon the truth in the dark, colliding with it or just glimpsing an image or a shape which seems to correspond to the truth, often without realising that you have done so. But the real truth is that there never is any such thing as one truth to be found in dramatic art. There are many. These truths challenge each other, recoil from each other, reflect each other, ignore each other, tease each other, are blind to each other. Sometimes you feel you have the truth of a moment in your hand, then it slips through your fingers and is lost.

I have often been asked how my plays come about. I cannot say. Nor can I ever sum up my plays, except to say that this is what happened. That is what they said. That is what they did.

Most of the plays are engendered by a line, a word or an image. The given word is often shortly followed by the image. I shall give two examples of two lines which came right out of the blue into my head, followed by an image, followed by me.

The plays are The Homecoming and Old Times. The first line of The Homecoming is ‘What have you done with the scissors?’ The first line of Old Times is ‘Dark.’

In each case I had no further information.

In the first case someone was obviously looking for a pair of scissors and was demanding their whereabouts of someone else he suspected had probably stolen them. But I somehow knew that the person addressed didn’t give a damn about the scissors or about the questioner either, for that matter.

‘Dark’ I took to be a description of someone’s hair, the hair of a woman, and was the answer to a question. In each case I found myself compelled to pursue the matter. This happened visually, a very slow fade, through shadow into light.

I always start a play by calling the characters A, B and C.

In the play that became The Homecoming I saw a man enter a stark room and ask his question of a younger man sitting on an ugly sofa reading a racing paper. I somehow suspected that A was a father and that B was his son, but I had no proof. This was however confirmed a short time later when B (later to become Lenny) says to A (later to become Max), ‘Dad, do you mind if I change the subject? I want to ask you something. The dinner we had before, what was the name of it? What do you call it? Why don’t you buy a dog? You’re a dog cook. Honest. You think you’re cooking for a lot of dogs.’ So since B calls A ‘Dad’ it seemed to me reasonable to assume that they were father and son. A was also clearly the cook and his cooking did not seem to be held in high regard. Did this mean that there was no mother? I didn’t know. But, as I told myself at the time, our beginnings never know our ends.

‘Dark.’ A large window. Evening sky. A man, A (later to become Deeley), and a woman, B (later to become Kate), sitting with drinks. ‘Fat or thin?’ the man asks. Who are they talking about? But I then see, standing at the window, a woman, C (later to become Anna), in another condition of light, her back to them, her hair dark.

It’s a strange moment, the moment of creating characters who up to that moment have had no existence. What follows is fitful, uncertain, even hallucinatory, although sometimes it can be an unstoppable avalanche. The author’s position is an odd one. In a sense he is not welcomed by the characters. The characters resist him, they are not easy to live with, they are impossible to define. You certainly can’t dictate to them. To a certain extent you play a never-ending game with them, cat and mouse, blind man’s buff, hide and seek. But finally you find that you have people of flesh and blood on your hands, people with will and an individual sensibility of their own, made out of component parts you are unable to change, manipulate or distort.

So language in art remains a highly ambiguous transaction, a quicksand, a trampoline, a frozen pool which might give way under you, the author, at any time.

But as I have said, the search for the truth can never stop. It cannot be adjourned, it cannot be postponed. It has to be faced, right there, on the spot.

Political theatre presents an entirely different set of problems. Sermonising has to be avoided at all cost. Objectivity is essential. The characters must be allowed to breathe their own air. The author cannot confine and constrict them to satisfy his own taste or disposition or prejudice. He must be prepared to approach them from a variety of angles, from a full and uninhibited range of perspectives, take them by surprise, perhaps, occasionally, but nevertheless give them the freedom to go which way they will. This does not always work. And political satire, of course, adheres to none of these precepts, in fact does precisely the opposite, which is its proper function.

In my play The Birthday Party I think I allow a whole range of options to operate in a dense forest of possibility before finally focussing on an act of subjugation.

Mountain Language pretends to no such range of operation. It remains brutal, short and ugly. But the soldiers in the play do get some fun out of it. One sometimes forgets that torturers become easily bored. They need a bit of a laugh to keep their spirits up. This has been confirmed of course by the events at Abu Ghraib in Baghdad. Mountain Language lasts only 20 minutes, but it could go on for hour after hour, on and on and on, the same pattern repeated over and over again, on and on, hour after hour.

Ashes to Ashes, on the other hand, seems to me to be taking place under water. A drowning woman, her hand reaching up through the waves, dropping down out of sight, reaching for others, but finding nobody there, either above or under the water, finding only shadows, reflections, floating; the woman a lost figure in a drowning landscape, a woman unable to escape the doom that seemed to belong only to others.

But as they died, she must die too.

Political language, as used by politicians, does not venture into any of this territory since the majority of politicians, on the evidence available to us, are interested not in truth but in power and in the maintenance of that power. To maintain that power it is essential that people remain in ignorance, that they live in ignorance of the truth, even the truth of their own lives. What surrounds us therefore is a vast tapestry of lies, upon which we feed.

As every single person here knows, the justification for the invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein possessed a highly dangerous body of weapons of mass destruction, some of which could be fired in 45 minutes, bringing about appalling devastation. We were assured that was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq had a relationship with Al Quaeda and shared responsibility for the atrocity in New York of September 11th 2001. We were assured that this was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq threatened the security of the world. We were assured it was true. It was not true.

The truth is something entirely different. The truth is to do with how the United States understands its role in the world and how it chooses to embody it.

But before I come back to the present I would like to look at the recent past, by which I mean United States foreign policy since the end of the Second World War. I believe it is obligatory upon us to subject this period to at least some kind of even limited scrutiny, which is all that time will allow here.

Everyone knows what happened in the Soviet Union and throughout Eastern Europe during the post-war period: the systematic brutality, the widespread atrocities, the ruthless suppression of independent thought. All this has been fully documented and verified.

But my contention here is that the US crimes in the same period have only been superficially recorded, let alone documented, let alone acknowledged, let alone recognised as crimes at all. I believe this must be addressed and that the truth has considerable bearing on where the world stands now. Although constrained, to a certain extent, by the existence of the Soviet Union, the United States’ actions throughout the world made it clear that it had concluded it had carte blanche to do what it liked.

Direct invasion of a sovereign state has never in fact been America’s favoured method. In the main, it has preferred what it has described as ‘low intensity conflict’. Low intensity conflict means that thousands of people die but slower than if you dropped a bomb on them in one fell swoop. It means that you infect the heart of the country, that you establish a malignant growth and watch the gangrene bloom. When the populace has been subdued – or beaten to death – the same thing – and your own friends, the military and the great corporations, sit comfortably in power, you go before the camera and say that democracy has prevailed. This was a commonplace in US foreign policy in the years to which I refer.

The tragedy of Nicaragua was a highly significant case. I choose to offer it here as a potent example of America’s view of its role in the world, both then and now.

I was present at a meeting at the US embassy in London in the late 1980s.

The United States Congress was about to decide whether to give more money to the Contras in their campaign against the state of Nicaragua. I was a member of a delegation speaking on behalf of Nicaragua but the most important member of this delegation was a Father John Metcalf. The leader of the US body was Raymond Seitz (then number two to the ambassador, later ambassador himself). Father Metcalf said: ‘Sir, I am in charge of a parish in the north of Nicaragua. My parishioners built a school, a health centre, a cultural centre. We have lived in peace. A few months ago a Contra force attacked the parish. They destroyed everything: the school, the health centre, the cultural centre. They raped nurses and teachers, slaughtered doctors, in the most brutal manner. They behaved like savages. Please demand that the US government withdraw its support from this shocking terrorist activity.’

Raymond Seitz had a very good reputation as a rational, responsible and highly sophisticated man. He was greatly respected in diplomatic circles. He listened, paused and then spoke with some gravity. ‘Father,’ he said, ‘let me tell you something. In war, innocent people always suffer.’ There was a frozen silence. We stared at him. He did not flinch.

Innocent people, indeed, always suffer.

Finally somebody said: ‘But in this case “innocent peopleâ€? were the victims of a gruesome atrocity subsidised by your government, one among many. If Congress allows the Contras more money further atrocities of this kind will take place. Is this not the case? Is your government not therefore guilty of supporting acts of murder and destruction upon the citizens of a sovereign state?’

Seitz was imperturbable. ‘I don’t agree that the facts as presented support your assertions,’ he said.

As we were leaving the Embassy a US aide told me that he enjoyed my plays. I did not reply.

I should remind you that at the time President Reagan made the following statement: ‘The Contras are the moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers.’

The United States supported the brutal Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua for over 40 years. The Nicaraguan people, led by the Sandinistas, overthrew this regime in 1979, a breathtaking popular revolution.

The Sandinistas weren’t perfect. They possessed their fair share of arrogance and their political philosophy contained a number of contradictory elements. But they were intelligent, rational and civilised. They set out to establish a stable, decent, pluralistic society. The death penalty was abolished. Hundreds of thousands of poverty-stricken peasants were brought back from the dead. Over 100,000 families were given title to land. Two thousand schools were built. A quite remarkable literacy campaign reduced illiteracy in the country to less than one seventh. Free education was established and a free health service. Infant mortality was reduced by a third. Polio was eradicated.

The United States denounced these achievements as Marxist/Leninist subversion. In the view of the US government, a dangerous example was being set. If Nicaragua was allowed to establish basic norms of social and economic justice, if it was allowed to raise the standards of health care and education and achieve social unity and national self respect, neighbouring countries would ask the same questions and do the same things. There was of course at the time fierce resistance to the status quo in El Salvador.

I spoke earlier about ‘a tapestry of lies’ which surrounds us. President Reagan commonly described Nicaragua as a ‘totalitarian dungeon’. This was taken generally by the media, and certainly by the British government, as accurate and fair comment. But there was in fact no record of death squads under the Sandinista government. There was no record of torture. There was no record of systematic or official military brutality. No priests were ever murdered in Nicaragua. There were in fact three priests in the government, two Jesuits and a Maryknoll missionary. The totalitarian dungeons were actually next door, in El Salvador and Guatemala. The United States had brought down the democratically elected government of Guatemala in 1954 and it is estimated that over 200,000 people had been victims of successive military dictatorships.

Six of the most distinguished Jesuits in the world were viciously murdered at the Central American University in San Salvador in 1989 by a battalion of the Alcatl regiment trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. That extremely brave man Archbishop Romero was assassinated while saying mass. It is estimated that 75,000 people died. Why were they killed? They were killed because they believed a better life was possible and should be achieved. That belief immediately qualified them as communists. They died because they dared to question the status quo, the endless plateau of poverty, disease, degradation and oppression, which had been their birthright.

The United States finally brought down the Sandinista government. It took some years and considerable resistance but relentless economic persecution and 30,000 dead finally undermined the spirit of the Nicaraguan people. They were exhausted and poverty stricken once again. The casinos moved back into the country. Free health and free education were over. Big business returned with a vengeance. ‘Democracy’ had prevailed.

But this ‘policy’ was by no means restricted to Central America. It was conducted throughout the world. It was never-ending. And it is as if it never happened.

The United States supported and in many cases engendered every right wing military dictatorship in the world after the end of the Second World War. I refer to Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, and, of course, Chile. The horror the United States inflicted upon Chile in 1973 can never be purged and can never be forgiven.

Hundreds of thousands of deaths took place throughout these countries. Did they take place? And are they in all cases attributable to US foreign policy? The answer is yes they did take place and they are attributable to American foreign policy. But you wouldn’t know it.

It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.

I put to you that the United States is without doubt the greatest show on the road. Brutal, indifferent, scornful and ruthless it may be but it is also very clever. As a salesman it is out on its own and its most saleable commodity is self love. It’s a winner. Listen to all American presidents on television say the words, ‘the American people’, as in the sentence, ‘I say to the American people it is time to pray and to defend the rights of the American people and I ask the American people to trust their president in the action he is about to take on behalf of the American people.’

It’s a scintillating stratagem. Language is actually employed to keep thought at bay. The words ‘the American people’ provide a truly voluptuous cushion of reassurance. You don’t need to think. Just lie back on the cushion. The cushion may be suffocating your intelligence and your critical faculties but it’s very comfortable. This does not apply of course to the 40 million people living below the poverty line and the 2 million men and women imprisoned in the vast gulag of prisons, which extends across the US.

The United States no longer bothers about low intensity conflict. It no longer sees any point in being reticent or even devious. It puts its cards on the table without fear or favour. It quite simply doesn’t give a damn about the United Nations, international law or critical dissent, which it regards as impotent and irrelevant. It also has its own bleating little lamb tagging behind it on a lead, the pathetic and supine Great Britain.

What has happened to our moral sensibility? Did we ever have any? What do these words mean? Do they refer to a term very rarely employed these days – conscience? A conscience to do not only with our own acts but to do with our shared responsibility in the acts of others? Is all this dead? Look at Guantanamo Bay. Hundreds of people detained without charge for over three years, with no legal representation or due process, technically detained forever. This totally illegitimate structure is maintained in defiance of the Geneva Convention. It is not only tolerated but hardly thought about by what’s called the ‘international community’. This criminal outrage is being committed by a country, which declares itself to be ‘the leader of the free world’. Do we think about the inhabitants of Guantanamo Bay? What does the media say about them? They pop up occasionally – a small item on page six. They have been consigned to a no man’s land from which indeed they may never return. At present many are on hunger strike, being force-fed, including British residents. No niceties in these force-feeding procedures. No sedative or anaesthetic. Just a tube stuck up your nose and into your throat. You vomit blood. This is torture. What has the British Foreign Secretary said about this? Nothing. What has the British Prime Minister said about this? Nothing. Why not? Because the United States has said: to criticise our conduct in Guantanamo Bay constitutes an unfriendly act. You’re either with us or against us. So Blair shuts up.

The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law. The invasion was an arbitrary military action inspired by a series of lies upon lies and gross manipulation of the media and therefore of the public; an act intended to consolidate American military and economic control of the Middle East masquerading – as a last resort – all other justifications having failed to justify themselves – as liberation. A formidable assertion of military force responsible for the death and mutilation of thousands and thousands of innocent people.

We have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it ‘bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East’.

How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as a mass murderer and a war criminal? One hundred thousand? More than enough, I would have thought. Therefore it is just that Bush and Blair be arraigned before the International Criminal Court of Justice. But Bush has been clever. He has not ratified the International Criminal Court of Justice. Therefore if any American soldier or for that matter politician finds himself in the dock Bush has warned that he will send in the marines. But Tony Blair has ratified the Court and is therefore available for prosecution. We can let the Court have his address if they’re interested. It is Number 10, Downing Street, London.

Death in this context is irrelevant. Both Bush and Blair place death well away on the back burner. At least 100,000 Iraqis were killed by American bombs and missiles before the Iraq insurgency began. These people are of no moment. Their deaths don’t exist. They are blank. They are not even recorded as being dead. ‘We don’t do body counts,’ said the American general Tommy Franks.

Early in the invasion there was a photograph published on the front page of British newspapers of Tony Blair kissing the cheek of a little Iraqi boy. ‘A grateful child,’ said the caption. A few days later there was a story and photograph, on an inside page, of another four-year-old boy with no arms. His family had been blown up by a missile. He was the only survivor. ‘When do I get my arms back?’ he asked. The story was dropped. Well, Tony Blair wasn’t holding him in his arms, nor the body of any other mutilated child, nor the body of any bloody corpse. Blood is dirty. It dirties your shirt and tie when you’re making a sincere speech on television.

The 2,000 American dead are an embarrassment. They are transported to their graves in the dark. Funerals are unobtrusive, out of harm’s way. The mutilated rot in their beds, some for the rest of their lives. So the dead and the mutilated both rot, in different kinds of graves.

Here is an extract from a poem by Pablo Neruda, ‘I’m Explaining a Few Things’:

And one morning all that was burning,
one morning the bonfires
leapt out of the earth
devouring human beings
and from then on fire,
gunpowder from then on,
and from then on blood.
Bandits with planes and Moors,
bandits with finger-rings and duchesses,
bandits with black friars spattering blessings
came through the sky to kill children
and the blood of children ran through the streets
without fuss, like children’s blood.

Jackals that the jackals would despise
stones that the dry thistle would bite on and spit out,
vipers that the vipers would abominate.

Face to face with you I have seen the blood
of Spain tower like a tide
to drown you in one wave
of pride and knives.

Treacherous
generals:
see my dead house,
look at broken Spain:
from every house burning metal flows
instead of flowers
from every socket of Spain
Spain emerges
and from every dead child a rifle with eyes
and from every crime bullets are born
which will one day find
the bull’s eye of your hearts.

And you will ask: why doesn’t his poetry
speak of dreams and leaves
and the great volcanoes of his native land.

Come and see the blood in the streets.
Come and see
the blood in the streets.
Come and see the blood
in the streets!*

Let me make it quite clear that in quoting from Neruda’s poem I am in no way comparing Republican Spain to Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. I quote Neruda because nowhere in contemporary poetry have I read such a powerful visceral description of the bombing of civilians.

I have said earlier that the United States is now totally frank about putting its cards on the table. That is the case. Its official declared policy is now defined as ‘full spectrum dominance’. That is not my term, it is theirs. ‘Full spectrum dominance’ means control of land, sea, air and space and all attendant resources.

The United States now occupies 702 military installations throughout the world in 132 countries, with the honourable exception of Sweden, of course. We don’t quite know how they got there but they are there all right.

The United States possesses 8,000 active and operational nuclear warheads. Two thousand are on hair trigger alert, ready to be launched with 15 minutes warning. It is developing new systems of nuclear force, known as bunker busters. The British, ever cooperative, are intending to replace their own nuclear missile, Trident. Who, I wonder, are they aiming at? Osama bin Laden? You? Me? Joe Dokes? China? Paris? Who knows? What we do know is that this infantile insanity – the possession and threatened use of nuclear weapons – is at the heart of present American political philosophy. We must remind ourselves that the United States is on a permanent military footing and shows no sign of relaxing it.

Many thousands, if not millions, of people in the United States itself are demonstrably sickened, shamed and angered by their government’s actions, but as things stand they are not a coherent political force – yet. But the anxiety, uncertainty and fear which we can see growing daily in the United States is unlikely to diminish.

I know that President Bush has many extremely competent speech writers but I would like to volunteer for the job myself. I propose the following short address which he can make on television to the nation. I see him grave, hair carefully combed, serious, winning, sincere, often beguiling, sometimes employing a wry smile, curiously attractive, a man’s man.

‘God is good. God is great. God is good. My God is good. Bin Laden’s God is bad. His is a bad God. Saddam’s God was bad, except he didn’t have one. He was a barbarian. We are not barbarians. We don’t chop people’s heads off. We believe in freedom. So does God. I am not a barbarian. I am the democratically elected leader of a freedom-loving democracy. We are a compassionate society. We give compassionate electrocution and compassionate lethal injection. We are a great nation. I am not a dictator. He is. I am not a barbarian. He is. And he is. They all are. I possess moral authority. You see this fist? This is my moral authority. And don’t you forget it.’

A writer’s life is a highly vulnerable, almost naked activity. We don’t have to weep about that. The writer makes his choice and is stuck with it. But it is true to say that you are open to all the winds, some of them icy indeed. You are out on your own, out on a limb. You find no shelter, no protection – unless you lie – in which case of course you have constructed your own protection and, it could be argued, become a politician.

I have referred to death quite a few times this evening. I shall now quote a poem of my own called ‘Death’.

Where was the dead body found?
Who found the dead body?
Was the dead body dead when found?
How was the dead body found?

Who was the dead body?

Who was the father or daughter or brother
Or uncle or sister or mother or son
Of the dead and abandoned body?

Was the body dead when abandoned?
Was the body abandoned?
By whom had it been abandoned?

Was the dead body naked or dressed for a journey?

What made you declare the dead body dead?
Did you declare the dead body dead?
How well did you know the dead body?
How did you know the dead body was dead?

Did you wash the dead body
Did you close both its eyes
Did you bury the body
Did you leave it abandoned
Did you kiss the dead body

When we look into a mirror we think the image that confronts us is accurate. But move a millimetre and the image changes. We are actually looking at a never-ending range of reflections. But sometimes a writer has to smash the mirror – for it is on the other side of that mirror that the truth stares at us.

I believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching, unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation which devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory.

If such a determination is not embodied in our political vision we have no hope of restoring what is so nearly lost to us – the dignity of man.

* Extract from “I’m Explaining a Few Things” translated by Nathaniel Tarn, from Pablo Neruda: Selected Poems, published by Jonathan Cape, London 1970. Used by permission of The Random House Group Limited.

Guided by a distant star
more radiant, more bright,
though its light shines from afar,
than any Palinurus spied.

I know not where she leads,
I sail perplexed, confused,
my soul care-laden, careless,
wanting nothing but to gaze

Upon her. Uncommon
modesty, rarest virtue,
like clouds hide her fair mien;
I would restore it to view.

O splendid, luminous star,
cause of my tears and sighs,
when you hide your face entire
then I will surely die!

Oh, sweet hope of mine,
taming th’impossible, struggling past thorns,
bravely walking the path
that you alone have cut, you alone adorn;
do not despair fair hope
if each step brings you closer to death’s scope.

The slothful never win
laurels of triumph or honored victories;
since they ne’er contend
with fate, fortune, and fame they never see,
but weak in indolence,
they turn to idle joys of flesh and sense.

Love puts a high price on its glories; that is just and fair, for
there’s no richer prize
than one that is esteemed at its true worth,
and it is surely clear
that things are not highly valued if not dear.

Steadfastness in love
can often win impossibilities;
though this may prove
too harsh a terrain for my tenacity,
I despise that fear
and strive to reach my heaven from this sphere.

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No, and I ain’t lookin’ to fight with you,
Frighten you or uptighten you,
Drag you down or drain you down,
Chain you down or bring you down.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I ain’t lookin’ to block you up
Shock or knock or lock you up,
Analyze you, categorize you,
Finalize you or advertise you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don’t want to straight-face you,
Race or chase you, track or trace you,
Or disgrace you or displace you,
Or define you or confine you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don’t want to meet your kin,
Make you spin or do you in,
Or select you or dissect you,
Or inspect you or reject you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don’t want to fake you out,
Take or shake or forsake you out,
I ain’t lookin’ for you to feel like me,
See like me or be like me.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

Copyright © 1964; renewed 1992 Special Rider Music

As a journalist, I’ve been writing about accidents for more than thirty years. In the last 15 or so years, I’ve concentrated on accidents in outdoor recreation, in an effort to understand who lives, who dies, and why. To my surprise, I found an eerie uniformity in the way people survive seemingly impossible circumstances. Decades and sometimes centuries apart, separated by culture, geography, race, language, and tradition, the most successful survivors-those who practice what I call “deep survival”-go through the same patterns of thought and behavior, the same transformation and spiritual discovery, in the course of keeping themselves alive. Not only that but it doesn’t seem to matter whether they are surviving being lost in the wilderness or battling cancer, whether they’re struggling through divorce or facing a business catastrophe-the strategies remain the same.

Survival should be thought of as a journey, a vision quest of the sort that native Americans have had as a rite of passage for thousands of years. Once you’re past the precipitating event-you’re cast away at sea or told you have cancer-you have been enrolled in one of the oldest schools in history. Here are a few things I’ve learned that can help you pass the final exam.

1. Perceive and Believe

Don’t fall into the deadly trap of denial or of immobilizing fear. Admit it: You’re really in trouble and you’re going to have to get yourself out.

Many people who in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, died simply because they told themselves that everything was going to be all right. Others panicked. Panic doesn’t necessarily mean screaming and running around. Often it means simply doing nothing. Survivors don’t candy-coat the truth, but they also don’t give in to hopelessness in the face of it.

Survivors see opportunity, even good, in their situation, however grim. After the ordeal is over, people may be surprised to hear them say it was the best thing that ever happened to them. Viktor Frankl, who spent three years in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps, describes comforting a woman who was dying. She told him, “I am grateful that fate has hit me so hard. In m former life I was spoiled and did not take spiritual accomplishments seriously.”

The phases of the survival journey roughly parallel the five stages of death once described by Elizabeth Kubler Ross in her book On Death and Dying: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. In dire circumstances, a survivor moves through those stages rapidly to acceptance of his situation, then resolves to do something to save himself. Survival depends on telling yourself, “Okay, I’m here. This is really happening. Now I’m going to do the next right thing to get myself out.” Whether you succeed or not ultimately becomes irrelevant. It is in acting well-even suffering well-that you give meaning to whatever life you have to live.

2. Stay Calm -Use Your Anger

In the initial crisis, survivors are not ruled by fear; instead, they make use of it. Their fear often feels like (and turns into) anger, which motivates them and makes them feel sharper. Aron Ralston, the hiker who had to cut off his hand to free himself from a stone that had trapped him in a slot canyon in Utah, initially panicked and began slamming himself over and over against the boulder that had caught his hand. But very quickly, he stopped himself, did some deep breathing, and began thinking about his options. He eventually spent five days progressing through the stages necessary to convince him of what decisive action he had to take to save his own life.

When Lance Armstrong, six-time winner of the Tour de France, awoke from brain surgery for his cancer, he first felt gratitude. “But then I felt a second wave, of anger… I was alive, and I was mad.” When friends asked him how he was doing, he responded, “I’m doing great… I like it like this. I like the odds stacked against me… I donÕt know any other way.” That’s survivor thinking.

Survivors also manage pain well. As a bike racer, Armstrong had had long training in enduring pain, even learning to love it. James Stockdale, a fighter pilot who was shot down in Vietnam and spent eight years in the Hanoi Hilton, as his prison camp was known, advised those who would learn to survive: “One should include a course of familiarization with pain. You have to practice hurting. There is no question about it.”

3. Think, Analyze, and Plan

Survivors quickly organize, set up routines, and institute discipline. When Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer, he organized his fight against it the way he would organize his training for a race. He read everything he could about it, put himself on a training schedule, and put together a team from among friends, family, and doctors to support his efforts. Such conscious, organized effort in the face of grave danger requires a split between reason and emotion in which reason gives direction and emotion provides the power source. Survivors often report experiencing reason as an audible “voice.”

Steve Callahan, a sailor and boat designer, was rammed by a whale and sunk while on a solo voyage in 1982. Adrift in the Atlantic for 76 days in a five-and-a-half-foot raft, he experienced his survival voyage as taking place under the command of a “captain,” who gave him his orders and kept him on his water ration, even as his own mutinous (emotional) spirit complained. His captain routinely lectured “the crew.” Thus under strict control, he was able to push away thoughts that his situation was hopeless and take the necessary first steps of the survival journey: to think clearly, analyze his situation, and formulate a plan.

4. Take Correct, Decisive Action

Survivors are willing to take risks to save themselves and others. But they are simultaneously bold and cautious in what they will do. Lauren Elder was the only survivor of a light plane crash in high sierra. Stranded on a peak above 12,000 feet, one arm broken, she could see the San Joaquin Valley in California below, but a vast wilderness and sheer and icy cliffs separated her from it. Wearing a wrap-around skirt and blouse, with two-inch heeled boots and not even wearing underwear, she crawled “on all fours, doing a kind of sideways spiderwalk,” as she put it later, “balancing myself on the ice crust, punching through it with my hands and feet.”

She had 36 hours of climbing ahead of her-a seemingly impossible task. But Elder allowed herself to think only as far as the next big rock. Survivors break down large jobs into small, manageable tasks. They set attainable goals and develop short-term plans to reach them. They are meticulous about doing those tasks well. Elder tested each hold before moving forward and stopped frequently to rest. They make very few mistakes. They handle what is within their power to deal with from moment to moment, hour to hour, day to day.

5. Celebrate your success

Survivors take great joy from even their smallest successes. This helps keep motivation high and prevents a lethal plunge into hopelessness. It also provides relief from the unspeakable strain of a life-threatening situation. Elder said that once she had completed her descent of the first pitch, she looked up at the impossibly steep slope and thought, “Look what you’ve done…Exhilarated, I gave a whoop that echoed down the silent pass.” Even with a broken arm, joy was Elder’s constant companion. A good survivor always tells herself: count your blessings-you’re alive. Viktor Frankl wrote of how he felt at times in Auschwitz: “How content we were; happy in spite of everything.”

6. Be a Rescuer, Not a Victim

Survivors are always doing what they do for someone else, even if that someone is thousands of miles away. There are numerous strategies for doing this. When Antoine Saint-Exupery was stranded in the Lybian desert after his mail plane suffered an engine failure, he thought of how his wife would suffer if he gave up and didn’t return. Yossi Ghinsberg, a young Israeli hiker, was lost in the Bolivian jungle for more than two weeks after becoming separated from his friends. He hallucinated a beautiful companion with whom he slept each night as he traveled. Everything he did, he did for her. People cannot survive for themselves alone; their must be a higher motive.

Viktor Frankl put it this way: “Don’t aim at success-the more you aim at it and make it a target,the more you are going to miss it.” He suggests taking it as “the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself.”

7. Enjoy the Survival Journey

It may seem counterintuitive, but even in the worst circumstances, survivors find something to enjoy, some way to play and laugh. Survival can be tedious, and waiting itself is an art. Elder found herself laughing out loud when she started to worry that someone might see up her skirt as she climbed. Even as Callahan’s boat was sinking, he stopped to laugh at himself as he clutched a knife in his teeth like a pirate while trying to get into his life raft. And Viktor Frankl ordered some of his companions in Auschwitz who were threatening to give up hope to force themselves to think of one funny thing each day.

Survivors also use the intellect to stimulate, calm, and entertain the mind. While moving across a near-vertical cliff face in Peru, Joe Simpson developed a rhythmic pattern of placing his ax, plunging his other arm into the snow face, and then making a frightening little hop with his good leg. “I meticulously repeated the pattern,” he wrote later. “I began to feel detached from everything around me.”

Singing, playing mind games, reciting poetry, counting anything, and doing mathematical problems in your head can make waiting possible and even pleasant, even while heightening perception and quieting fear. Stockdale wrote, “The person who came into this experiment with reams of already memorized poetry was the bearer of great gifts.”

When Lance Armstrong was undergoing horrible chemotherapy, his mantra became his blood count: “Those numbers became the highlight of each day; they were my motivation… I would concentrate on that number, as if I could make the counts by mentally willing it.”

Lost in the Bolivian jungle, Yossi Ghinsberg reported, “When I found myself feeling hopeless, I whispered my mantra, ‘Man of action, man of action.’I don’t know where I had gotten the phrase… I repeated it over and over: A man of action does whatever he must, isn’t afraid, and doesn’t worry.”

Survivors engage their crisis almost as an athlete engages a sport. They cling to talismans. They discover the sense of flow of the expert performer, the “zone” in which emotion and thought balance each other in producing fluid action. A playful approach to a critical situation also leads to invention, and invention may lead to a new technique, strategy, or design that could save you.

8. See the Beauty

Survivors are attuned to the wonder of their world, especially in the face of mortal danger. The appreciation of beauty, the feeling of awe, opens the senses to the environment. (When you see something beautiful, your pupils actually dilate.) Debbie Kiley and four others were adrift in the Atlantic after their boat sank in a hurricane in 1982. They had no supplies, no water, and would die without rescue. Two of the crew members drank sea water and went mad. When one of them jumped overboard and was being eaten by sharks directly under their dinghy, Kiley felt as if she, too, were going mad, and told herself, “Focus on the sky, on the beauty there.”

When Saint-Exupery’s plane went down in the Lybian Desert, he was certain that he was doomed, but he carried on in this spirit: “Here we are, condemned to death, and still the certainty of dying cannot compare with the pleasure I am feeling. The joy I take from this half an orange which I am holding in my hand is one of the greatest joys I have ever known.” At no time did he stop to bemoan his fate, or if he did, it was only to laugh at himself.

9. Believe That You Will Succeed

It is at this point, following what I call “the vision,” that the survivor’s will to live becomes firmly fixed. Fear of dying falls away, and a new strength fills them with the power to go on. “During the final two days of my entrapment,” Ralston recalled, “I felt an increasing reserve of energy, even though I had run out of food and water.” Elder said, “I felt rested and filled with a peculiar energy.” And: “It was as if I had been granted an unlimited supply of energy.”

10. Surrender

Yes you might die. In fact, you wil die-we all do. But perhaps it doesn’t have to be today. Don’t let it worry you. Forget about rescue. Everything you need is inside you already. Dougal Robertson, a sailor who was cast away at sea for thirty-eight days after his boat sank, advised thinking of survival this way: “Rescue will come as a welcome interruption of… the survival voyage.” One survival psychologist calls that “resignation without giving up. It is survival by surrender.”

Simpson reported, “I would probably die out there amid those boulders. The thought didn’t alarm me… the horror of dying no longer affected me.” The Tao Te Ching explains how this surrender leads to survival:

The rhinoceros has no place to jab its horn,
The tiger has no place to fasten its claws,
Weapons have no place to admit their blades.
Now,
What is the reason for this?
Because on him there are no mortal spots.

11. Do Whatever Is Necessary

Elder down-climbed vertical ice and rock faces with no experience and no equipment. In the black of night, Callahan dove into the flooded saloon of his sinking boat, at once risking and saving his life. Aron Ralston cut off his own arm to free himself. A cancer patient allows herself to be nearly killed by chemotherapy in order to live.

Survivors have a reason to live and are willing to bet everything on themselves. They have what psychologists call meta-knowledge: They know their abilities and do not over-or underestimate them. They believe that anything is possible and act accordingly.

12. Never Give Up

When Apollo 13′s oxygen tank exploded, apparently dooming the crew, Commander Jim Lovell chose to keep on transmitting whatever data he could back to mission control, even as they burned up on re-entry. Simpson, Elder, Callahan, Kiley, Stockdale, Ghinsberg-were all equally determined and knew this final truth: If you’re still alive, there is always one more thing that you can do.

Survivors are not easily discouraged by setbacks. They accept that the environment is constantly changing and know that they must adapt. When they fall, they pick themselves up and start the entire process over again, breaking it down into manageable bits.

Survivors always have a clear reason for going on. They keep their spirits up by developing an alternate world, created from rich memories, into which they can escape. They see opportunity in adversity. In the aftermath, survivors learn from and are grateful for the experiences that they’ve had. As Elder told me once, “I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. And sometimes I even miss it. I miss the clarity of knowing exactly what you have to do next.”

Those who would survive the hazards of our world, whether at play or in business or at war, through illness or financial calamity, will do so through a journey of transformation. But that transcendent state doesn’t miraculously appear when it is needed. It wells up from a lifetime of experiences, attitudes, and practices form one’s personality, a core from which the necessary strength is drawn. A survival experience is an incomparable gift: It will tell you who you really are.

Hardly any other activity encompasses such a broad motivational spectrum as does mountain sports. It gives people the opportunity to realize personal goals and pursue meaningful lifelong activity. Motives for being active in the mountains and on the rocks range from health benefits, pleasure of movement, contact with nature and social incentives, to the thrill of exploration and adventure.

“Stretch your limits, lift your spirits and aim for the top”

Adopted by the Future of Mountain Sports Conference, Innsbruck, September 6 ­ 8, 2002

All over the world, millions of people practice mountaineering, hiking, trekking and rock climbing. In many countries mountain sports have become a significant factor of everyday life.

Hardly any other activity encompasses such a broad motivational spectrum as does mountain sports. It gives people the opportunity to realize personal goals and pursue meaningful lifelong activity. Motives for being active in the mountains and on the rocks range from health benefits, pleasure of movement, contact with nature and social incentives, to the thrill of exploration and adventure.

The Tyrol Declaration on Best Practice in Mountain Sports passed by the conference on the Future of Mountain Sports in Innsbruck on September 8, 2002, contains a set of values and maxims to provide guidance on best practice in mountain sports. These are not rules or detailed instructions, rather they:

1. Define todayís fundamental values in mountain sports
2. Contain principles and standards of conduct
3. Formulate the ethical criteria for decision-making in uncertain situations
4. Present the ethical principles by which the public can judge mountain sports
5. Introduce beginners to the values and moral principles of their sport.

It is the aim of the Tyrol Declaration to help realize the innate potential of mountain sports for recreation and personal growth as well as for promoting social development, cultural understanding and environmental awareness. To this end, the Tyrol Declaration picks up on the traditional unwritten values and codes of conduct inherent in the sport and expands on them to meet the demands of our times. The fundamental values on which the Tyrol Declaration is based, hold true for all individuals engaged in mountain sports worldwide ­ whether they be hikers and trekkers, sport climbers, or mountaineers seeking to push their limits at high altitudes. Even if some of the guidelines for conduct are of relevance for only a small elite, a lot of the proposals formulated in the Tyrol Declaration are addressed to the mountain sports community as a whole. With these suggestions we especially hope to reach our youth, for they are the future of mountain sports.

The Tyrol Declaration is an appeal to:

• Accept the risks and assume responsibility
• Balance your goals with your skills and equipment
• Play by fair means and report honestly
• Strive for best practice and never stop learning
• Be tolerant, considerate and help each other
• Protect the wild and natural character of mountains and cliffs
• Support local communities and their sustainable development.

The Tyrol Declaration is based on the following hierarchy of values:

• Human dignity ­ the premise that human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and should treat one another in the spirit of brotherhood. Particular attention should be given to equal rights of men and women.
• Life, liberty and happiness ­ as inalienable human rights and with a special responsibility in mountains sports to help protect the rights of communities in mountain areas.
• Intactness of nature ­ as a commitment to secure the ecological value and natural characteristics of mountains and cliffs worldwide. This includes the protection of endangered species of flora and fauna, their ecosystems and the landscape.
• Solidarity ­ as an opportunity through participation in mountain sports to promote teamwork, cooperation and understanding and overcome barriers due to gender, age, nationality, level of ability, social or ethnic origin, religion or belief.
• Self-actualization ­ as a chance through participation in mountain sports to make meaningful progress towards important goals and achieve personal fulfillment.
• Truth ­ as recognition that in mountain sports honesty is essential to evaluate accomplishments. If arbitrariness replaces truth, it becomes impossible to assess performance in climbing.
• Excellence ­ as an opportunity through participation in mountain sports to strive for previously unattained goals and to set higher standards.
• Adventure ­ as recognition that in mountain sports the management of risk through judgment, skills and personal responsibility is an essential factor. The diversity of mountain sports allows everyone to chose their own adventure, where skills and dangers are in balance.

The Articles of the Tyrol Declaration

Article 1 ­ Individual Responsibility

Mountaineers and climbers practice their sport in situations where there is risk of accidents and outside help may not be available. With this in mind, they pursue this activity at their own responsibility and are accountable for their own safety. The individualís actions should not endanger those around them nor the environment.

Article 2 ­ Team Spirit

Members of the team should be prepared to make compromises in order to balance the interests and abilities of all the group.

Article 3 ­ Climbing & Mountaineering Community

We owe every person we meet in the mountains or on the rocks an equal measure of respect. Even in isolated conditions and stressful situations, we should not forget to treat others as we want to be treated ourselves.

Article 4 ­ Visiting Foreign Countries

As guests in foreign cultures, we should always conduct ourselves politely and with restraint towards the people there ­ our hosts. We will respect holy mountains and other sacred places while seeking to benefit and assist local economy and people. Understanding of foreign cultures is part of a complete climbing experience.

Article 5 ­ Responsibilities of Mountain Guides and other Leaders

Professional mountain guides, other leaders and group members should each understand their respective roles and respect the freedoms and rights of other groups and individuals. In order to be prepared guides, leaders and group members should understand the demands, hazards and risks of the objective, have the necessary skills, experience and correct equipment, and check the weather and conditions.

Article 6 ­ Emergencies, Dying and Death

To be prepared for emergencies and situations involving serious accidents and death all participants in mountain sports should clearly understand the risks and hazards and the need to have appropriate skills, knowledge and equipment. All participants need to be ready to help others in the event of an emergency or accident and also be ready to face the consequences of a tragedy.

Article 7 ­ Access and Conservation

We believe that freedom of access to mountains and cliffs in a responsible manner is a fundamental right. We should always practice our activities in an environmentally sensitive way and be proactive in preserving nature. We respect access restrictions and regulations agreed by climbers with nature conservation organizations and authorities.

Article 8 ­ Style

The quality of the experience and how we solve a problem is more important than whether we solve it. We strive to leave no trace.

Article 9 ­ First Ascents

The first ascent of a route or a mountain is a creative act. It should be done in at least as good a style as the traditions of the region and show responsibility toward the local climbing community and the needs of future climbers.

Article 10 ­ Sponsorship, Advertising and Public Relations

The cooperation between sponsors and athletes must be a professional relationship that serves the best interests of mountain sports. It is the responsibility of the mountain sports community in all its aspects to educate and inform both media and public in a proactive manner.

Annex 1 The Maxims and Guidelines of the Tyrol Declaration

Article 1 ­ Individual Responsibility

Mountaineers and climbers practice their sport in situations where there is risk of accidents and outside help may not be available. With this in mind, they pursue this activity at their own responsibility and are accountable for their own safety. The individualís actions should not endanger those around them nor the environment.

We choose our goals according to our own actual skills or those of the team and according to the conditions on the mountains. Refraining from doing the climb should be a valid option.

We make sure that we have the proper training for our goal, that we have planned the climb or trip carefully and have gone through the necessary preparations.

We make sure weíre properly equipped on every trip and know how to use the equipment.

Article 2 ­ Team Spirit

Members of the team should be prepared to make compromises in order to balance the interests and abilities of all the group.

Each member of the team should have regard and take responsibility for the safety of their team members.

No team member should be left alone if this risks his/her well-being.

Article 3 ­ Climbing & Mountaineering Community

We owe every person we meet in the mountains or on the rocks an equal measure of respect. Even in isolated conditions and stressful situations, we should not forget to treat others as we want to be treated ourselves.

We do everything we can, not to endanger others and we warn others of potential dangers.

We ensure that no one is discriminated against.

As visitors, we respect the local rules.

We do not hinder or disturb others more than necessary. We let faster parties pass. We donít occupy routes others are waiting to do.

Our reports on climbs truthfully reflect the actual events in detail.

Article 4 ­ Visiting Foreign Countries

As guests in foreign cultures, we should always conduct ourselves politely and with restraint towards the people there ­ our hosts. We will respect holy mountains and other sacred places while seeking to benefit and assist local economy and people. Understanding of foreign cultures is part of a complete climbing experience.

Always treat the people in your host country with kindness, tolerance and respect.

Strictly adhere to any climbing regulations implemented by your host country.

It is advisable to read up on the history, society, political structure, art and religion of the country visited before embarking on the trip to enhance our understanding of its people and their environment. In case of political uncertainty, seek official advice.

Itís wise to develop some basic skills in the language of our host country: forms of greeting, please and thank you, days of the week, time, numbers, etc. It is always astounding to see how much this little investment improves the quality of communication. By this we contribute to the understanding between cultures.

Never pass up an opportunity to share your climbing skills with interested locals. Joint expeditions with climbers from the host country are the best setting for an exchange of experience.

At all costs we avoid offending the religious feelings of our hosts. For example, we should not display naked skin in places, where it is unacceptable for religious or social reasons. If some expressions of other religions are beyond our comprehension, we are tolerant and refrain from passing judgment.

We give all possible assistance to local inhabitants in need. An expedition doctor is often in a position to make a decisive difference in the life of an acutely ill person.

To benefit the mountain communities economically, we buy regional products, if feasible, and take advantage of local services.

We are encouraged to assist local mountain communities by initiating and supporting facilities favoring sustainable development, for example training and educational services or ecologically compatible economic enterprises.

Article 5 ­ Responsibilities of Mountain Guides and other Leaders

Professional mountain guides, other leaders and group members should each understand their respective roles and respect the freedoms and rights of other groups and individuals. In order to be prepared guides, leaders and group members should understand the demands, hazards and risks of the objective, have the necessary skills, experience and correct equipment, and check the weather and conditions.

The guide or leader informs the client or group about the risk inherent in a climb and the current danger level and if they are suitably experienced involves them in the decision-making process.

The selected route should relate to the skill and experience of the client or group in order to ensure it is an enjoyable and developmental experience.

If necessary the guide or leader points out the limits of his or her own ability and where appropriate refers clients or groups to more capable colleagues.

It is the responsibility of clients and group members to point out if they believe a risk or hazard is too great and that retreat or alternative options should be followed.

In circumstances such as extreme climbs and high altitude ascents guides and leaders should carefully brief their clients and groups to ensure everyone is fully aware of the limits of support that guides and leaders can provide.

Local guides inform visiting colleagues about the distinctive features of their area and the current conditions.

Article 6 ­ Emergencies, Dying and Death

To be prepared for emergencies and situations involving serious accidents and death all participants in mountain sports should clearly understand the risks and hazards and the need to have appropriate skills, knowledge and equipment. All participants need to be ready to help others in the event of an emergency or accident and also be ready to face the consequences of a tragedy.

Helping someone in trouble has absolute priority over reaching goals we set for ourselves in the mountains. Saving a life or reducing damage to an injured personís health is far more valuable than the hardest of first ascents.

In an emergency if outside assistance is not available and we are in a position to help, we should be prepared to give all the support we can to persons in trouble as far as is feasible without endangering ourselves.

Someone who is seriously injured or dying should be made as comfortable as possible and offered life preserving support.

In a remote area if it is not possible to recover the body, the location should be recorded as accurately as possible with any indications as to the identity of the deceased.

Personal possessions, such as camera, diary, notebook, photographs, letters and other personal artifacts should be safeguarded for and delivered to the bereaved.

Under no circumstances may pictures of the deceased be published without prior consent of the family.

Article 7 ­ Access and Conservation

We believe that freedom of access to mountains and cliffs in a responsible manner is a fundamental right. We should always practice our activities in an environmentally sensitive way and be proactive in preserving nature. We respect access restrictions and regulations agreed by climbers with nature conservation organizations and authorities.

1. We respect the measures to preserve cliff and mountain environments and the wildlife they support and we encourage our fellow climbers to do likewise. By avoiding noise, we strive to reduce disturbing wildlife to a minimum.
2. If possible, we approach our destination using public transportation or car pools in order to minimize traffic on the roads.
3. In order to avoid erosion and not to disturb wildlife, we stay on trails during approaches and descents and, in the wilderness, pick out the most eco-compatible route.
4. During the breeding and nesting periods of cliff dwelling species we respect seasonal access restrictions. As soon as we learn about any breeding activity, we should pass on this knowledge to fellow climbers and ensure that they stay away from the nesting area.
5. During first ascents, we are careful not to endanger the biotopes of rare species of plants and animals. In equipping and redeveloping routes, we should take all precautions to minimize their environmental impact.
6. The broad implications of popularizing areas through retro-bolting should be carefully considered. Increased numbers may cause access problems.
7. We minimize rock damage by using the least detrimental protection technique.
8. Not only do we carry our own garbage back to civilization, but we also pick up any rubbish left by others.
9. In the absence of sanitary installations, we keep an adequate distance from homes, camp sites, creeks, rivers or lakes while defecating and take all the necessary measures to avoid damage to the ecosystem. We refrain from offending other peopleís aesthetic feelings. In highly frequented areas with a low level of biological activity, climbers take the trouble to pack out their feces.
10. We keep the campsite clean, avoiding waste as much as possible or dispose our rubbish adequately. All climbing material ­ fixed ropes, tents and oxygen bottles ­ must be removed from the mountain.
11. We keep energy consumption to a minimum. Especially in countries with a wood shortage, we refrain from action that could contribute to the further decline of forests. In countries with endangered forests, we need to carry adequate fuel to prepare food for all participants in an expedition.
12. Helicopter tourism should be minimized where it is detrimental to nature or culture.
13. In conflicts over access issues, landowners, authorities and associations should negotiate to find solutions satisfactory to all parties.
14. We take an active part in the implementation of these regulations, especially by publicizing them and establishing the necessary infrastructure.
15. Together with the mountaineering associations and other conservation groups we are proactive on the political level in protecting natural habitats and the environment.

Article 8 ­ Style

The quality of the experience and how we solve a problem is more important than whether we solve it. We strive to leave no trace.

We aim to preserve the original character of all climbs, most especially those with historical significance. This means that climbers should not increase fixed protection on existing routes. The exception is when there is a local consensus ­ including agreement from the first ascensionists ­ to change the level of fixed protection by placing new gear or removing existing gear.

We respect the diversity of regional traditions and will not try to impose our point of view upon other climbing cultures ­ nor will we accept their ways imposed upon ours.

Rock and mountains are a limited resource for adventure that must be shared by climbers with many interests and over many generations to come. We realize that future generations will need to find their own NEW adventures within this limited resource. We try to develop crags or mountains in a way that doesnít steal opportunity from the future.

Within a region where bolts are accepted, it is desirable to keep routes, sections of cliffs, or entire cliffs free of bolts in order to preserve a refuge for adventure and to show respect for diverse climbing interests.

Naturally protected routes can be just as fun and safe for recreational climbers as bolted routes. Most climbers can learn to place safe natural protection and should be educated to the fact that this provides additional adventure and a rich and natural experience with comparable safety, once the techniques have been learned.

In cases of conflicting interest groups, climbers should resolve their differences through dialogue and negotiation to avoid access being threatened.

Commercial pressures should never influence the climbing ethics of a person or a region.

Good style on big mountains implies not using fixed ropes, performance-enhancing drugs, or bottled oxygen.

Article 9 ­ First Ascents

The first ascent of a route or a mountain is a creative act. It should be done in at least as good a style as the traditions of the region and show responsibility toward the local climbing community and the needs of future climbers.

First ascents should be environmentally sound and compatible with local regulations, the wishes of landowners, and the spiritual values of the local population.

We will not deface the rock by chopping or adding holds.

In alpine regions, first ascents should be done exclusively on lead (no prefixing from above).

After giving full respect to local traditions, it is up to the first ascentionist to determine the level of fixed protection on their route (taking into account the suggestions in Article 8).

In areas designated as wilderness or natural reserves by land managers or the local access committee, bolts should be limited to an absolute minimum to preserve access.

Drilling holes and placing fixed gear during the first ascent of aid climbs should be kept to a bare minimum (bolts should be avoided even on belay anchors unless absolutely necessary).

Adventure routes should be left as natural as possible, relying on removable protection whenever it is available and using bolts only when necessary and always subject to local traditions.

The independent character of adjacent routes must not be compromised.

When reporting first ascents, it is important to report the details as accurately as possible. A climberís honesty and integrity will be assumed unless there is compromising evidence.

High-altitude mountains are a limited resource. We especially encourage climbers to use the best style.

Article 10 ­ Sponsorship, Advertising and Public Relations

The cooperation between sponsors and athletes must be a professional relationship that serves the best interests of mountain sports. It is the responsibility of the mountain sports community in all its aspects to educate and inform both media and public in a proactive manner.

Mutual understanding between sponsor and athlete is necessary to define common goals. The many facets of mountain sports require clear identification of the specific expertise of both athlete and sponsor to maximize opportunities.

To maintain and improve their level of performance, climbers are dependent on continuous support from their sponsors. For this reason it is important that the sponsors keep backing their partners even after a series of failures. Under no circumstances may the sponsor pressure the climber into performing.

To establish a permanent presence in all media, clear channels of communication must be organized and maintained.

Climbers should take pains to report their activities realistically. An accurate account enhances not only the credibility of the climber, but also the public reputation of his sport.

The athlete is ultimately responsible for representing to sponsor and media the ethics, style, social and environmental responsibility stated in the Tyrol Declaration.

Annex 2 The Pluralism of Climbing Games

Modern climbing encompasses a broad spectrum of activities ranging from hiking and bouldering to crag climbing and mountaineering. Mountaineering comprises extreme forms of high altitude alpinism and expedition climbing in high ranges like the Andes or Himalayas. Although the dividing lines between the various forms of climbing are by no means rigid, the following categorization makes it possible to present the vast diversity of modern mountain sports comprehensibly.

Hiking and trekking

Hiking to mountain huts, cols and summits is the most widespread form of mountaineering. A multi-day hike in the mountains and other wilderness areas, especially off the beaten track, is often referred to as a trek. Hiking turns into a technically more demanding form of mountaineering as soon as hands have to be used for progress.

Climbing via ferratas

Routes on steep rocky terrain equipped with steel cables and iron rungs are becoming more and more popular. An arena hitherto reserved for technical rock climbing is made accessible through an elaborate infrastructure and special protection systems.

Classic mountaineering

A mountaineer in this category will rock climb up to a standard of UIAA grade 3 and ascend up to 50-degree snow and ice. The typical goals in this category of climbing are the regular routes of peaks in the alpine zone.

Ski mountaineering

The adherents of this classic form of alpinism use alpine or telemark skis to hike up mountains or traverse entire ranges. Due to the complexity of the skills required, this discipline ranks among the most demanding ­ and dangerous ­ forms of mountaineering.

The Hierarchy of “Climbing Games”

A system for categorizing the different kinds of climbing introduced by Lito Tejada-Flores, has proved helpful in describing the many facets that modern technical climbing has acquired. Every specialized type of climbing “game” is defined by an informal but a precise set of rules, formulated so as to keep the task at hand difficult ­ and thereby interesting. The greater the danger in a particular climbing game due to the natural environment, the more lenient the restrictions for the use of technical equipment. The lower the objective dangers, the stricter its “rules” get.

Bouldering

In “bouldering” difficult sections of rock close to the ground are negotiated, normally without a rope. The equipment allowed is reduced to the climbing shoes, a chalk bag ­ and these days ­ a crash pad. Bouldering is practiced on natural boulders and rocks as well as on artificial objects.

Climbing on artificial objects

Today most climbers use artificial walls for training and leisure, either at home, in a gym or outdoors. A growing number of climbers is active exclusively on artificial walls. There are also new forms like therapeutic climbing and climbing as an art ­ for instance dance or ballet.

Crag climbing

Routes between one and three pitches long are called crag climbs. Because of their shortness and the almost total absence of objective dangers, the free ascent “ethic” has gained international acceptance for this type of climbing during the last two decades. This means that a route only counts if no fixtures placed in the rock have been used for progress during the ascent.

Continuous climbing

If a climb is longer than three or four pitches it is referred to as a continuous climbing route.

Bigwall/aid climbing

In this climbing game developed in Yosemite Valley, the activists ascend walls that cannot be free climbed with specially designed equipment. They strive to reduce the drilling of holes for the placement of bolts or other means of progress as much as possible, thus leaving a minimum of traces after completing the ascent.

Alpine climbing

In the “alpine game” activists not only have to deal with the problems posed by actual climbing but also with the “objective” dangers of a frequently hostile environment in high mountains. Because survival often not only depends on the ability to safely master the technical problems of a route but also on the speed of a party, the unwritten rules of the alpine game classically permit the use of pitons and chocks for progress. However, starting in the late sixties, the principles of free climbing have been increasingly applied in the high mountains. Whereas at the beginning of the new era, the focus was on the free ascent of routes normally done on aid, it didnít take long for new difficult climbs ­ put up according to the stricter rules ­ to appear in the mountains. These include both extremely bold adventure routes and hedonistic sport climbs.

An important aspect of alpine climbing is the ascent of ice routes. These range from classic ice faces to seriously hard futuristic enterprises. A type of ice climbing that has recently become popular is the ascent of frozen waterfalls, ice-stalactites und glazed rock. Modern mixed rock-and-ice-routes sometimes involve very hard rock moves with the aid of crampons and ice tools. The game is governed by the rules of free climbing. The ice and mixed routes can range from short one-pitch affairs to bold operations in the higher ranges that can last for several weeks.

Adventure climbing and sport climbing

Modern climbing terminology differentiates between the styles of adventure or traditional climbing and sport climbing. Adventure or “trad” climbing has the following elements:

• Performance is judged by the amount of stress resistance necessary for the ascent of a route.
• The climber is responsible for the placement of protection or has to do without.
• Mistakes made by the leader can have very drastic consequences.

Sport climbing is characterized as follows:

• Performance is judged by the technical grade of the route climbed.
• The kinesthetic element is dominant.
• Bolts enable perfect protection.
• If modern belaying techniques are employed properly, leader- falls tend not to be severely punished.

The styles of adventure and sport climbing can be applied to crags as well as to alpine walls. Between the pure versions of adventure and sport/plaisir climbing there are numerous hybrid forms. Different games and safety-”philosophies” correspond to diverging individual needs of climbers. The wealth of forms in mountain sports provides pleasure and self-fulfillment for a great number of people ­ a fact that we welcome. Both the friends of the sport climbing approach as the adherents of the adventure philosophy have a right to climb in accordance with their wishes and abilities. It should be our goal to preserve the pluralism of climbing styles, leaving them their special arenas.

Super-alpine climbing

This mountaineering discipline applies the rules of alpine climbing to high-altitude terrain on the six, seven and eight thousand-meter peaks long reserved for traditional expeditions. In the super alpine game fixed ropes, help from outside sources or the installation of a chain of camps and bottled oxygen are all rejected.

Expedition climbing

Two forms of this game have developed: The first variation has the function of enabling a maximum number of members to reach prestigious summits in the high mountain ranges via the normal route. They optimize the probability of success through liberal use of porters, fixed ropes and artificial oxygen.

In contrast, the extreme form of expedition climbing strives to push the limits of technical difficulty with the help of the most modern equipment save bottled oxygen: fixed ropes, portaledge camps and equipment depots.

For my defense I must kill, must kill;
Kill one man, kill one man.
For my place in the sun,
In my defense, I must kill one man.

For my family I must kill, must kill;
Kill ten men, kill ten men.
On behalf of posterity,
Because of my family, I must kill ten men.

For my village I must kill, must kill;
Kill hundreds of men, kill hundreds of men.
On behalf of freedom,
Because of my village, I must kill hundreds of men.

For my nation I must kill, must kill;
Kill thousands of men, kill thousands of men.
On behalf of the fatherland,
Because of my nation, I must kill thousands of men.

For my ideology I must kill, must kill;
Kill millions of men, kill millions of men.
On behalf of the liberation of all mankind,
Because of my ideology, I must kill millions of men.

For the human race I keep killing, keep killing;
Killing everything else, killing everything else.
On behalf of peace, on behalf of peace,
I must kill even myself.

The final line was sung harshly, out of cadence. After a moment of stunned silence the shocked audience began to applaud. But Pham Duy, master showman, cut off the applause as it approached its peak. Loss and destruction, he told them, are only to be regretted, never applauded nor prized. He then began to sing again, providing a new perspective:

For my defense I must save, must save,
Save one man, save one man.
For my place in the sun,
In my defence, I must save one man.

For my family I must save, must save;
Save ten men, save ten men.
On behalf of posterity,
Because of my family, I must save ten men.

For my village I must save, must save;
Save hundreds of men, save hundreds of men.
On behalf of freedom,
Because of my village, I must save hundreds of men.

For my nation I must save, must save;
Save thousands of men, save thousands of men.
On behalf of the fatherland,
Because of my nation, I must save thousands of men.

For my ideology I must save, must save;
Save millions of men, save millions of men.
On behalf of the liberation of all mankind.
Because of my ideology, I must save millions of men.

For the human race I must keep saving, must keep saving;
Saving everything else, saving everything else.
On behalf of peace, on behalf of peace,
I must, first of all, save myself.

With this Pham Duy evoked thunderous applause both in Vietnam and the United States. (From Understanding Vietnam by Neil L. Jamieson, p. 322-324)