Lives were lost in 1996 near Everest’s summit, for reasons not all found in Jon Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air.
Two men, perhaps more, are dead because they would not turn around and try another day.
I feel that lesson should not be lost on us - even though most will never set foot near Mount Everest.
Our daily lives are affected by social, political, physical, religious, economic, environmental (and other) frameworks, and within each we at times drive or push too far beyond our limits.
As well, we ignore our conscience or other guides, fail to make a safe retreat when the possibility exists, miss the opportunity to replenish essential resources, and subsequently find ourselves without strength or much hope for survival.
A few sentences from A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright lead me to believe we’ve pushed past our economic limits:
“During the twentieth century, the world’s population multiplied by four and the economy by more than forty. If civilization is to survive, it must live on the interest, not the capital, of nature (but) markers suggest that in 1999 we were at 125 per cent (of nature’s yearly output).”
An oft-used quote from Barry Commoner tells me we’ll suffer for pushing past the planet’s economic limits:
“Sooner or later, wittingly or unwittingly, we must pay for every intrusion on the natural environment.”
In the political sphere, limits must be set and firm policies put in place to ensure resources are used in a sustainable manner, for the benefit of all, and future generations.
On a personal note:
While training for and running 13 marathons, I often strayed beyond my physical limits or ran at someone else’s chosen pace, then barely survived several of the 26.2 mile events. I hit the wall too soon and became - on a few occasions - an ugly companion for running mates.
["Staying within my physical limits": BOSTON MARATHON, GAH]
Whether we address social relationships (marriages, friendships), economic, environmental policies, et al, we tend to push limits to the extreme and suffer the consequences.
By reading Into Thin Air, I was forced to think a bit more about where we are now, where we’re going, and how we’re getting there.
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The book, and life itself, are gripping adventures, are they not?
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