The real point of mountain climbing, as of most hard sports, is that it voluntarily tests the human spirit against the fiercest odds, not that it achieves anything more substantial - or even wins the contest, for that matter. For the most part, its heroism is of a subjective kind. It was the fate of Hillary and Tenzing, though, to become very public heroes indeed, and it was a measure of the men that over the years they truly grew into the condition. Perhaps they thought that just being the first to climb a hill was hardly qualification for immortality; perhaps they instinctively realized destiny had another place for them. For they both became, in the course of time, representatives not merely of their particular nations but of half of humanity. Astronauts might justly claim that they were envoys of all humanity; Hillary and Tenzing, in a less spectacular kind, came to stand for the small nations of the world, the young ones, the tucked-away and the up-and-coming.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Mountain climbing tests the human spirit against odds rather than achieving substance, and climbers became public heroes over time.
- In plain terms
- The value is in testing yourself, not winning; fame can follow later.
- What can you take from it?
- Value the struggle, not just the trophy.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What struggle defines you?
- Do you seek recognition?
Another view
Some contests have clear objective value.
More from Edmund Hillary
Geography was not furthered by the achievement, scientific progress was scarcely hastened, and nothing new was discovered. Yet the names of Hillary and Tenzing…
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