Summit Philosophy
When I went to Mt. Rinjani a while ago, I was surprised by how strong the local porters and the guides were. With loads of kilograms on their backs and a steep track to climb, they just stepped lightly and quickly around the roots and rocks.
Their gear is really nothing special. For the above days, you don’t need a carrier bag from a well-known brand to carry things or help with logistics. Don’t even think about putting on a windproof jacket, windbreaker, head jacket, or something similar.
Their clothes are just simple T-shirts, and some of the people we met were even naked! The only shoes available are flip-flops made by a local company. There are no mountain boots or hiking boots. This journey seemed so simple, as if we were just heading to the next village to play.
Especially when compared to us, who do everything in advance. In the midst of finding everything that needs to be brought, whether it be by renting or purchasing the most cutting-edge tools. Then I reflected on their innate resilience and I wondered, what makes them so robust and tough?
Is it a matter of habit…?
Or is it only the power of the mind that the terrain to be traveled is mediocre, so yep, it’s all about the mediocrity.
I frequently hear that, in addition to physical preparation, mental preparation is far more crucial for a climbing trip. And I demonstrated this yesterday!
With the track being so difficult, I almost gave up going forward multiple times. Especially at the summit trip to Rinjani ’s peak… especially when we had to pass through letter E trek! Not to mention the constant fog that comes and goes, making the top invisible, which makes me even more upset because my goal appears to be slipping away.
At that point, the power of the mind becomes even more crucial.
These legs can no longer move…or, more correctly, they have been dragged…when 1–2 steps forward, the body wobbles backwards. So the best alternative is to take a little break while reinforcing enthusiasm to keep going. And surrender!
Simply take it slowly. It will arrive later…:-)
I believe we should be allowed to assess ourselves. So, from beginning, I got mentally prepared in my mind , to give up if I couldn’t reach the top. This is not a competition; whoever among us succeeds in reaching the peak will be considered the greatest among us.
This is a path in which I must be able to judge myself, not burden others, and, most importantly, not jeopardize the safety of many people!
When everything returns to normal, the load of climbing (particularly the burden of reaching the summit) becomes lighter… it’s okay not to reach the top!
But I have to say it’s not easy…it feels overwhelming when our friends or others go ahead of us and we know they’re getting closer to the summit! Or, when asking those who have already descended, how long is the journey? It feels like a mental plunge, and the desire to give up becomes even stronger at that time….
This has happened to me on previous hikes…
As a result, from the start, when I understood Rinjani was not a light terrain, my attitude of resignation grew even stronger, and I got more mediocre, and curiously, the load of climbing yesterday became lighter!
Back to the Rinjani porter…it appears that my case is comparable to the porter instance above. With the concept that the journey to be traveled is typical, adding their road habits of climbing on the same terrain hundreds of times…BAM! then everything becomes light for them…
Of course, there are still physical distinctions between me and them…
But I believe we can merely get used to it…with consistent physical exercise, the hard terrain will become mediocre…
This philosophy should be applied to other episodes of our life journey.
When we come to the understanding and acceptance that life is not a competition to see who is better than the other, then we will be able to accept it when other people achieve greater levels of accomplishment.
When life gets too heavy and we feel like giving up, it’s necessary to take a step back, give up, and settle for mediocrity in order to bolster our resolve to keep going. If this means we have to move slowly, that’s fine; the important thing is that we don’t give up.
The purpose of life can become obscured from time to time when there is a fog, but if we believe that all of life’s experiences are temporary, then everything should also feel natural. It should all work out in the end if you have a trained mind and mindset, as well as an expanded feeling of surrender.
There may not be a straight path in our lives to where we want to go. There may be twists and turns, and there may be extra burdens along the way. This is why we need to have a strong mind, an attitude of resignation, pray to the Almighty, and not give up on life. Only then will everything feel lighter in the end.
Oops, I forgot…if all of the sacrifices I listed above are made, then, by the grace of God, we will receive a bonus. A summit from which we have a bird’s-eye view of everything around us and every stage of our journey through life, from which we can go on to the next summit, which is the summit of eternity, when we will be united with God.
A peak of eternity to meet our Creator one day:-)
