Why you don’t need to climb every mountain. [Wise Wednesdays]

[Reflections from Nepal]

Why do you want to climb Mount Everest??

“Because it’s there”, answered George Mallory - the mountaineer who disappeared trying to reach the summit of Everest in 1924. His remains were found in 1999. His body was facing uphill and his arms were in a grasping position, as if he were trying to arrest a descent that was out of control…

As I began settling into a month-long co-living and co-working project in Nepal this week, I noticed a quiet resistance to enthusiastic propositions of trekking in the Himalayas. I thought of all the stories of adventurers braving the Himalayas and wondered if I’ve just grown too comfortable? Perhaps.?

But I feel strongly drawn to nature and discovery. So on reading an article en route to Pokhara about the growing damage that tourism has done to local resources, I realised that I also felt misaligned with the idea of climbing a mountain ‘just because it’s there’. For the recovering overachiever in me, the need to prove ‘I can do it’ is less strong than it used to be and the idea seems unpalatable…?

At the very least, I want to make a considered choice, weighing up my own desires against the local capacity to accommodate more tourists. Of course, the colonial undertones of entitlement to land access also bother me. But on seeing how much tourism supports local communities (8% of Nepal’s GDP), that concern has been put to rest.?

BEYOND THE HUSTLE AND GRIND?

Most of the world lives in a hustle and grind culture. Struggle is glorified. Patriarchal Capitalism engrains a misguided ethic of never ending, blind productivity in exchange for protection from the man at the top…At best, we feel restless if we’re not taking on a challenge or working towards a goal—rest becomes a guilt trip and being present in relationships takes a back seat (unless it’s networking…) At worst, we have a burnout epidemic, global mental health decline (due to increased stress, social isolation, economic uncertainty, and the impact of the digital age); increasing economic competition and polarisation breaking down international relations and escalating complex conflict; and a spiralling climate change crisis (because all that blind productivity requires energy - human and natural).

But what happens if we let go of the need to climb the next mountain?

• What if we’re already on a great mountain called life where the path meanders rather than going straight up?
• Who would we be, simply standing in the valleys or walking by the ocean of life, rather than looking for the next mountain challenge?
• Could our world start to regenerate and our lives re-harmonise?

BREAKING THE PULL OF THE HUSTLE

The pull of the hustle and climb may be subtle but how often do you feel totally at ease when you are simply resting? How calm do you stay in the face of possible failure on a project or business milestone? While it’s healthy to be responsible and deliver on promises and KPIs, it doesn’t have to be a source of suffering and pushing. I keep relearning and unlearning these habits.

In the end you can touch the summit of any mountain sitting exactly where you are. How? Because the neurobiology of goal achievement is the same whatever the goal is - whether it’s climbing everest, getting a job, getting points on Duolingo, or getting likes on your post. (That’s how tech companies ‘hack’ our brains. Realise this fully and you will never look at your phone in the same way again. Its hold on you will wane and social media may even start giving you mild nausea or a headache…)

The difference is that climbing a mountain will also exert you physically and develop your discipline and determination. It may also give you an experience of awe and inpsiration - like any natural scenery.?

But most of us don’t need more discipline and determination. We need more insight and clarity on what matters and what doesn’t. We need more empathy and understanding to trust our own sense of what is truly important - like health - and what we’re made to believe is important - like status.

I’m not sure if I’ll go trekking in the Himalayas. Life feels like a trek some days, anyway. I much prefer writing by the lake and enjoying the warm breeze right now. But we’ll see.

To Liberation,?

Amina

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