Mountains seem to answer an increasing imaginative need in the West. More and more people are discovering a desire for them, and a powerful solace in them. At bottom, mountains, like all wildernesses, challenge our complacent conviction - so easy to lapse into - that the world has been made for humans by humans. Most of us exist for most of the time in worlds which are humanly arranged, themed and controlled. One forgets that there are environments which do not respond to the flick of a switch or the twist of a dial, and which have their own rhythms and orders of existence. Mountains correct this amnesia. By speaking of greater forces than we can possibly invoke, and by confronting us with greater spans of time than we can possibly envisage, mountains refute our excessive trust in the man-made. They pose profound questions about our durability and the importance of our schemes. They induce, I suppose, a modesty in us. Robert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind: Adventures in Reaching the Summit.
When a two-year-old visited next door, she was fascinated by a small arched bridge constructed between the two homes. For her, it was a mountain to climb. And she did, time and again. Up and over. Up and over. Up and over. Holding her mother’s hand for balance, she was certain that the little bridge was hers to conquer. She amused us all while challenging herself countless times.
This child, like most toddlers, constantly explores the world around her. Repetition always reinforces lessons to be learned.
Maureen Ryan, Parenting Toddlers and Twos expert, writes, “Climbing is an important stage in the development of gross motor skills…Climbing is an excellent way for young children to build strength, flexibility and balance. It’s also a way for young children to learn about about their environment and to gain confidence.”
Of course, we worry about their safety. And parents spend as much energy trying to protect their young from harm as any child does trying to explore his world. Ryan assures parents that climbing is merely a passing phase in childhood growth.
For the adventurous adults, climbing beckons them to the next peak. Conquer one, head to a taller one. The mountain climber, like an artist, must take pleasure in the process of climbing. He cannot stay at the top. As Ed Viesturs writes in No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World’s 14 Highest Peaks, “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”
For the ambitious, the mountain may not be a stone structure, but rather a corporate ladder. The challenge to reach the top, either literally or metaphorically, drives certain adults as much as any height tempts an active toddler.
For the toddler, the climbing phase can offer real health benefits. For the adult, climbing challenges the entire composition of a human being. Do we approach each enticing venture thinking only of self gratification? Or, can we be aware of the needs of others around us as we succeed in our self appointed goals? This is the real challenge. Whenever we hurt someone else, either intentionally or as collateral damage, our own accomplishments are diminished.
Unfortunately, even as we aid some in a situation, we may inadvertently harm others. We saw this dilemma earlier this year when reservoir officials, after Hurricane Harvey had already devastated the Houston, released rising waters from the reservoir into the city. While the action prevented overflow in one area, it flooded another. How does one choose? What is the lesser of two evils?
Now as we approach another new year, many of us take stock of what we have achieved in the past year and set goals for the new. It is a good time for reflection, for looking back and forward.
In recent years, I discovered, quite by accident, a little volume, My Utmost for His Highest, by the Rev. Oswald Chambers, a 20th century Scottish minister. Author Donna Vanliere quotes him in Christmas Blessings.
In searching out this rather obscure author, I learned that his wife took meticulous notes of all his speeches. When he died suddenly, she supported her family, by compiling her notes and having his words printed.
Chambers reminds us, “We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life - those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength.”
May we prove our stamina and strength in the new year by making it a very good one.
2017
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