After climbing all 14 8,000-meter peaks, with oxygen, in about three months—a climbing record of some significance—Kristin Harila said that she’s probably “done with climbing now.” What’s next? She says she’ll be parlaying her stint as a mountaineer into professional opportunities, including a film for Netflix or something like that.
I’ve been laughing about this rapid rise and quick departure from the business of climbing mountains because Harila’s not even bothering to pretend that climbing has meant something more to her than simply standing on summits, as quickly as money can buy them, for the purpose of becoming famous for doing so. There’s no pretense about The Journey, The Experience, the spiritual exercise of infusing profound meaning into your life around an inherently meaningless pursuit like climbing. Climbing to her, it seems, was like grad school. A smart if expensive career move.
Well, good for her!
I sometimes feel envy toward those who seem to be free of existential baggage. It must be nice to be free of the burden of living an examined life, of moving through the world the way a fish moves through water …
I look at climbing as a selfish act. It is something we do for self-care and that can be expressed in whatever way… The attention seeking, the learning new things, the burning calories from eating too many potato chips, whatever that person needs from it is on them and their time. The only times that it bothers me is when their verbal “truth” isn’t necessarily reflected congruent to their action, but that’s just how the world is so trying to not let it waste any more of my energy than the time it took me to recognize the discrepancy.
Might I do it? No, not on the best days of my life. I must respect the accomplishment. I can’t know what’s in her mind, She’s entitled to bask in whatever sunlight she can garner. Meanwhile, it may be good to enjoy the words of Mr. Pound:
…I have seen their smiles full of teeth
and heard ungainly laughter.
And I am happier than you are,
And they were happier than I am;
And the fish swim in the lake
and do not even own clothing.
So we get somehow back to the question of fish, which must enlighten our path.