Clues From The Mountains

Disruption triggered by Covid-19 is here to stay. The initial euphoria of the “New Normal” has been replaced by questions.

1)    How much longer will it take for businesses to get back to the “Old Normal” if at all?

2)    How much will my business get impacted?

3)    How to quickly adapt to the changed environment?

Credible answers to these questions are still some time away. There are only opinions available right now. In situations like these, experiences from the mountains offer some pointers, at least to me. Picture this all too familiar story which every mountaineer goes through in varying intensities ..

 .. You are climbing a glacial peak. Its pre-dawn, pitch dark. You are exhausted yet exhilarated to be nearing your destination - The Summit. But the weather Gods have other plans. They send a storm your way. Initially, you see a few snowflakes floating & suddenly it starts pouring hell. May-day.. May-day.. May-day..

Your face is incessantly being pricked as if by countless needles. You cannot even talk to your fellow climber on the rope in that deafening wind. You scramble to a nearby solitary rock in that expanse. It's no cover. Just a psychological support to make you feel safe from getting blown away. You plonk yourself on the snow. Unconditional surrender. The storm has grown ferocious now. You cannot even open your eyes.

You are getting colder by the passing minute. You are far away from your cosy base camp. The storm is not relenting. A silent duel between your patience and the storm begins. You must sit the storm out. What else? Come on, you can’t be sitting here forever. The summit window is closing fast. There is not much time left. Experts on the team assess the risks, weigh-in the trade off’s and take a calculated decision – Let’s keep going. It can't get worse.

The storm intensifies. You wonder if this is not suicidal then what is? You struggle to get in the rhythm again sinking deeper in the fresh snow. But you keep going with a new vigor that gets summoned when cornered.

A few minutes later, the storm starts weaning. The big ball of white that had engulfed you is slowly melting away. Far in the horizon, the sparkling sunlight is blowing the clouds away. You are now feeling sure footed with every step. You dig deep into your reserves to walk that last mile. A few more minutes and you see prayer flags flutter on the summit. You make it. The 360 deg view is sparkling clear. The far away peaks that you had dreamt of are smiling at you. You feel humble. You thank the almighty for seeing you through.

Is it sounding familiar with today's situation?

Like in the mountains, its futile to lose sleep speculating on what next? All we can do is to stay alert, follow rules and take one-day-at-a-time.

A sunny summit awaits all of us.