"For God could no longer be found in his traditional steeple houses. But seemed to dwell more vividly in the bare austerities of his Earth's high places"
from Ascent
For me, climbing serves to strip away the detritus and distractions of civilization. Only what remains half way up a challenging rock pitch, or at 3:00am on a glacier has value, and all that remains are the people important to me. Climbing centers me and provides perspective that is impossible to find while enmeshed in the incessant noise of life.