Climbing today is far less a challenge than it was in 1953. Sir Edmund Hillary didn't climb for the reason of creating a pastime, he climbed because no one before him had made it to the summit and returned alive. There is always this "thing" about dominating Earth's and nature's toughest challenges. Human beings always feel so small in comparison to Earth's natural powers of volcanoes and high mountain peaks. It seems the belief by humans is that staying alive means there is reassurance in conquering all that can be conquered. Sort of like war with Russia, too.
But, Mount Everest has been a bit of unique Earth history. Now, due to human pollution it is losing it's glaciers and the mystery that once existed is melting away. Literally. Humans on Earth are not so small after all.
When does it become appalling? When do people in power finally admit we have pushed Earth too far and it is time for radical changes? Never? Would those that see COVID-19 and it's variants as meer problems that sometimes kill people cast aside the reality of the climate crisis and the unfortunate future for human beings?
My answer to all those questions is, yes. I believe there are powers at work that care little about the future and only seek to profit from the present. There is no reverence for life in that paradigm. The truly unique aspect of an American democracy that links itself to allies that see democracy as an important human event, is the capacity of being very flexible in times of great change.
We are within one of those times. From Putin's longing for the return of Nikita Khrushchev to the warming of Earth and a pandemic that would see us all dead, we are facing critical turning points now. Right now. The USA is capable of bringing peace in assertion of power that demands respect from a wayward Russian war effort. It looks by every estimation Europe and NATO are taking a united stand (click here). Certainly, the people of Russia don't want this war with their own former brothers and sisters.
Now is the time for China to end it's ideas of war that can destroy civilization as we know it and end the conflict of major powers before it starts. The Olympics were created to end differences and unite over sport and achievment.
Now is the time to turn the corner on the climate crisis and bring on strong aspirations to "Zero Carbon Emissions." The generations working jobs in the USA are ready for a brave new world without fossil fuels. It is possible and it is needed now and not postponed into the future where disaster currently resides.
The people of Earth in the year 2022 are great at bringing change to the forefront of life as it occurs today, with hope to end a global pandemic, return Earth's atmospheres to benevolence and find peace in the hope of new methods of economic interests that bring about a better quality of life. Certainly, Russia can appreciate the opportunity for better quality of life, rather than the suffering of war.
Now is the time for great change. It is possible. It is a matter of accepting the pinnacle we face that is somewhat different than that of Sir Edmund Hillary. It is the pinnacle of the inevitible that ensures the future and makes proud the peacemakers.
9 January 2022
By Kim Moodie
The son of mountaineering icon Sir Edmund Hillary (click here) hopes a classic train expedition along the length of the South Island will help local businesses survive the wait for international tourists to return....
