I wrote the following short essay in 2016 and it ended up being one of the most read posts on my website. The reason for that is that in climbing, tragedy is always in season, and although the names may fade, death does not. Having watched the numbers spike again, on K2 and the alps, I thought it worth sharing these words again.
Does it seem odd that I read of such endings and often think I am wasting my life by not commiting so fully? Perhaps there is something in me that wants to push the limits even to breaking, just because... What? Tempting fate perhaps? A 'fuck you' to the universe? To revel in the sheer audacity? As I think of it now, there is perhaps a glory in dying on a mountain that is absent from so many other, more 'normal' self destruction. From out here it seems purposeful, romantic, grand. The meaning of life is exactly what you make it. A life lost pursuing something meaningful to you is perhaps the pinacle of human existance, whatever it is. Or, at least, a close second best to a life lived in that pursuit.
La muerte es un paso importante en la existencia. No se acaba nada, mas bien comienza todo de nuevo. Las pasiones? Siempre moverán montañas... Y ellas llevarán vidas.
Great read Andy. I've always been jealous of people who are "content". Like they have uncovered the secret. I usually ask them a lot of questions hoping to have it rub off on me. Maybe being "content" is the hardest objective to achieve in a life.
Does it seem odd that I read of such endings and often think I am wasting my life by not commiting so fully? Perhaps there is something in me that wants to push the limits even to breaking, just because... What? Tempting fate perhaps? A 'fuck you' to the universe? To revel in the sheer audacity? As I think of it now, there is perhaps a glory in dying on a mountain that is absent from so many other, more 'normal' self destruction. From out here it seems purposeful, romantic, grand. The meaning of life is exactly what you make it. A life lost pursuing something meaningful to you is perhaps the pinacle of human existance, whatever it is. Or, at least, a close second best to a life lived in that pursuit.
La muerte es un paso importante en la existencia. No se acaba nada, mas bien comienza todo de nuevo. Las pasiones? Siempre moverán montañas... Y ellas llevarán vidas.
Great read Andy. I've always been jealous of people who are "content". Like they have uncovered the secret. I usually ask them a lot of questions hoping to have it rub off on me. Maybe being "content" is the hardest objective to achieve in a life.