A Year From Benjamin Smith 2025 Edition

A Year From Benjamin Smith

    As the year comes to an inevitable close I like to review what I have done over this time. Not only the achievements or issues I have faced, but more importantly the person I have morphed into. I am a completely different person than I was in January of 2025. My goals have transitioned in such a unique way. The subject of them is still the same, yet the overall goal has fluctuated in such a drastic way. 

    I would like to begin by rewinding the goals I had created at the end of 2024 and compare them to goals I have set for myself this December going into 2026. In 2024, my main goal was to compete in the Regional Championship for Sport Climbing. It is so strange to think that just a year ago today the main thing I wanted to do was compete. Comparing that to now I have found that competition climb is now my nemesis. After my injury I became very focused on the spiritual side of climbing and discovered that I never want to enter a competition again. Competitions feel so useless to me. Why would I want to go to a gym full of people I do not know and try a climb for 4 minutes that I can never pull onto again? I want to go into the beautiful mountain ranges of the western US and Alps of Northern Europe and simply climb whilst admiring the beauty that God has created. My main goal now is to climb a V9. I know that seems strange after I just said that I want to admire the beauty of the climbing world, but I still want to excel as well. Another big goal is to complete my first Sport Climb at the NRG (New River Gorge) and to complete my first Trad Climb.

    This year has truly changed who I am in a quite unique way. At the end of 2024 my Uncle passed away very suddenly. This made me want to value life in a better way. I vowed to be closer to God, better my health, and better myself as a person. I began waking up at 6 and reading more books, including the Bible. The waking up at 6 unfortunately did not last long and my Ethics changed over time. Although I do still consider myself a Christian, I do not find myself associated with any institutions. This coming year my vow is similar. I'm going to make an effort to wake up at 6 every morning. I want to keep my same Ethics while still following and looking toward God and his beauty. 

    2025 is by far the most I've changed in a year. I have lost many friends and gained many. I have had hardships I didn't know existed yet. Most importantly, I have found who I truly want to be. My initial claims of what I hadn't wanted to be throughout 2024 and 2023 are completely different than what I want now. I have found the beautiful art of writing and reading. I have written 1 to 2 works every month and not once has it felt like a chore. I truly have found writing to be a new getaway for me.

    I have discovered during this year that the most important thing in life is not winning competitions or making money. The most important thing is love. Love is where we came from and it is where we will leave from. We came into this world as children of God, loved by our parents and we shall leave this world as children of God, loved by our friends and all the people that we met throughout our lifetime. Loving one another is truly where peace can be found in our soul.

    I cannot find myself to leave off with one quote for this year so I will leave with two. The first being from the Book of John, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12). The quote that I believe shows this year far better than any other quote comes from the great Henry Thoreau, one of if not my favorite Romanticism authors. From his book "Walden" he said the famous line, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, but it is a characteristic of wisdom to not do desperate things." This quote has taught me that strong men do not conform, but instead embrace their uniqueness. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful new year.

B. Smith

28 December, 2025