Seeing

“You’ve seen one mountain you’ve seen them all.”   This was iterated to me a few years back while viewing the sun set on a peak called Cholatse in the Himalaya of Nepal. It stands at 21,130 feet.  The North Ridge rises 5000 feet straight out of the ground, a kind of knife reaching to the heavens, splitting the jet stream like butter. 

The Alpenglow on the summit became a brilliant red as the sun dipped to sleep.  High winds were blowing spindrift creating a fire in the sky, an effect no cinema could produce.  The energy that surrounded these moments in this mountain drama were as if on a roller coaster ride with mother nature.  

I remember replying to the gentleman, as the reds turned to violet then lavender, “You’ve seen one flower, bird, or symphony, you have seen them all.”  I did not mean to start an argument but realize it was an edgy comment.  He began with “Yeah but.........…”  

The sun dipping to sleep, I thought, was a miracle in itself an occurrence which I often take for granted.  It reminded me that seeing has very little to do with the eyes.

                 
Alpenglow, Mt Everest and Nuptse, with the jet stream hammering the heavens

Real Face Time

Do you ever think about the quality of connection you have with your friends through facebook or technology?  It is something I think about often as it is such a presence in our life.  We spend hours a day on Technology and it is something I hope we are all critically assessing.  

I believe technology is an outstanding “TOOL”.  Here I am ticking away a blog entry that hundreds will be able to read in minutes, Beautiful!  I often wonder however if the tool is becoming a substitute for real interpersonal, intimate connection with the ones close to us.  My thoughts and questions on this topic were magnified a thousand fold when I witnessed two older Nepali Gentleman boarding the flight from Korea to Kathmandu Nepal.

The plane was on hold for a single passenger who was running late.  Ten minutes after we were supposed to take off an older Nepali gentleman enters the plane calmly, where most of us would have been rushing with embarrassment.  I watched as he calmly walked down my isle.  I see a hand reach out to his elbow from someone sitting in the isle seat 3 rows in front of me.  The late Nepali man stops with a startle and looks down.  A big smile creases every space on his 70 year old face.  A warm Namaste flows from his heart!  I can see they are now clasping hands, old friends who may have not seen each other in years.  They begin a conversation.

Now remember everyone in the plane is probably eager to take off, we are ten minutes behind schedule, 300 people waiting.

The old friends talk as if they were sitting in their home perched in a terraced rice field in the foothill of the Himalaya.  The flight attendant comes and waives him on but he does not budge, he smiles gently acknowledging the flight attendant,  the conversation continues.

I look around the plane.  People on there games, phones, computers.  One looks from screen to the engaged old friends with a scorn.  Like a drug being administered he forgets as he melts into his computer game.

The old friends laugh as if they were telling old fishing stories, or talking about the last crop of potatoes, often grown in the terraced hills of Nepal.  The steward prods the gentleman again.  They smile, still are shaking hands, laugh and connect.  They must have talked for 5 more minutes.  Another flight attendant comes down the isle.  She says something polite.  The friend standing smiles at her and turns back to his sitting friend.  They continue with, Hows family?  How is your brother?  Did you finish your roof?  Their friendship true, in no hurry, face to face.

At first I was upset.  Here we are 300 people waiting for 10 minutes and now another 5 while this conversation happens.  Then something hit me, a sudden transformation or realization.  As I looked back to the man buried in his game I realized I was witnessing something that may be fading in the human race.  These 2 Nepali’s were exhibiting that which is inherent in remaining a kind and awakened species.  Something that we as humans should never lose.  The ability to sit face to face, talk, connect, look eye to eye.  It is real face time and there is no substitute.  Like a drug being administered, technology may be dulling our abilities to sit face to face or even recognize that this beautiful gift may be fading.  Pay attention, the world is not in your computer.  

Suggested reading.  If you are a parent a book called "Last Child in the Woods".  Adults,  "The Shallows".  

Thank You SteriPen

I have been guiding the Himalaya for 20 years.  I am now preparing for my 35th season at altitude in the mountains of Nepal.  With this many years at altitude you become specialized.  One of the keys to acclimatization is water intake, hydration.  I want my water processing for my clients and I to be efficient, light, and 100%.  For this combination I have been counting on Steripen.  No pumping, no squeezing, Light, compact, no cleaning.  Steripen has passed the rigors of expedition life, trail life, heavy use, and no water born illness since I started using the Steripen in 2006.  

Matt Fioretti    20 Expeditions, 34 seasons in Nepal, Bone Marrow Transplant survivor.    himalayahigh.blogspot.com

perception

Where your mind is at is where you are at.  If you are thinking in your mind that your situation is horrible then the situation cannot be anything but horrible.   However you have a choice.  Someone else in the same situation understands the possible horrible nature of the situation but experiences it in an entirely different way, perhaps more positive, by exercising choice of perception.

Our situation is only as our mind makes it.  Reading accounts of Prisoners of War who survived you will find they spent their days in the mind to find peace. They could find the positive in the retched. They could not be broken because of the mind, spirit connection.  Survivors understood that the retched captor could not capture the mind/spirit. It is only our mind that can truly jail us.

This mind spirit connection can be summed up by something I believe in.  "Where ever your mind is, thats where you are".  Further explanation comes from a quote by Pema Chodron.

"Whether we regard our situation as heaven or as hell depends on our perception"