„Sympathetic joy“ vs „Competition“ in Slacklining
Updated: Oct 3, 2019
Dear slackliners,
that’s one of the aspects which makes our sport so unique and magic!!
Our sport is mainly characterized by sympathetic joy!
We are often in groups facing the next challenge. It does not matter if it is a new trick, the next line length or rather the height or the exposure, it makes no difference if it is for a competition or just for a chill out session: in every situation we support each other with sympathy.
The word sympathy can be understood as “feel together”: we all feel the emotions of the person who is on the line.
We all support and raise the vibe until this single person, which is now an expression of the whole community itself, overcomes the challenge.
At that point an infinite joy explodes! How wonderful!!
I invite you to reflect on the fact that this is not a given. More commonly, in other more mature disciplines, instead of sympathetic joy people experience its opposite: competition.
In this case, when competition is taken to the extreme, the performance of the individual is given a far bigger importance than the joy and support for the community.
Sympathetic joy in our sport is a wonderful quality, it is a gift!
If you have experienced this, go out, share and demonstrate sympathetic joy also when your feet are not on the line! Let it be you on- and off-line lifestyle!
Let’s share with everyone what our line teaches us!
Salva