"You never conquer a mountain. Mountains can't be conquered; you conquer yourself."
James Whittaker
I love the mountains and I love being in the mountains.
In
such a magnificent landscape, one learns how small we really are and to
me it is a regular and timely reminder of humility and my place in this
world.
Therefore whenever I see someone use the word ‘conquer or
conquered’ in reference to their successful attempt at summiting a
mountain, it rubs me the wrong way.
There are many factors which
contribute to success or failure on a mountain. We, the climbers, may
have prepared ourselves hard and indeed may have done so very well but
we are the only factor we have any form of control or influence over.
The
weather and physical conditions on the mountain are factors which are
way larger than we are and beyond our control. Any mountaineer who has
been caught in a snow storm or gotten bogged down in poor snow
conditions would attest to the sheer power and fury of the mountain.
We
are all able to stand on the the summit and be rewarded with the beauty
of the sunrise not due to our own effort but because in some way, the
mountain has graciously accorded us the privilege to do so.
Let us, through this experience, continue to humble ourselves and appreciate the wonder of creation before us.
Adrian Tan
On Mountains 2014
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