Mount Everest is Man's Mental Achilles Heel

The world is filled with egomaniacs. History's pages are littered with figures endowed with abnormally inflated minds. It did take, for example, a certain personality to have the audacity to explore centuries ago. A sense of adventure is what brought us to this point. Particularly during the Renaissance when the philosophy of Humanism exalted man into a new sense of self-worth. From that point it was a domino effect of events and movements; Scientific Revolution, Reformation, Industrial Revolution etc.

But sometimes letting the ego drive the rational mind leads people to fool themselves. The Age of Exploration had clear ramifications for human history. What does the need to climb Mount Everest do exactly except satisfy a personal selfish craving? Is there any benefit to mankind? Is there something up there that can solve our problems or find a cure for a disease?

What about a team of scientists who go into the Arctic? I don't mind when scientists take daring expeditions in search of proving a theory. It's in the interest of humanity - even though it too is sometimes motivated by the ego.

Arrogance can lead to some good even though it rubs people the wrong way. Sometimes, however, arrogance and self-indulgence for its own sake can lead to death.

It's a few documentaries I watch and articles I read* about people who undertake the dangerous journey into Everest. To prove they exist no doubt. To stare death in the face and spit upon it! Many good people have lost their lives along the way. Stubborn fools who should have known better made many miscalculations that had dire consequences. I fail to see the point of such an adventure.

To me, it's as pointless as those people who wanted to act as human shields during the initial stages of the Iraq war. They were prepared to abandon their responsibilty to their society and family in order to make a point. A rather elusive and selfish one at that. It was a sickening and reckless display of post-modernism gone awry.

It also reminds me of adventurers who would take on Niagara Falls by placing themselves in a barrel and subsequently thrown over as they attempted to escape the jaws of death. Thankfully, officials put an end to that stupidity as the death toll mounted and rank amateurs began to emerge thinking they could succeed.

They should do the same with Mount Everest. Leave it to real experts and Sherpas. One shouldn't be allowed to profit from such a dangerous adventure. I know it sounds like interventionism or communism but convince me otherwise.

*Jon Krakauer's 'Into Thin Air' is one of the greatest articles I have ever read. It poignantly tells of his experience climbing Everest. It was gripping drama to read.