Today’s Quote

“I know of no better life purpose than to perish attempting the great and impossible. The fact that something seems impossible should not be a reason to not pursue it. That’s exactly what makes it worth pursuing. Where would the courage and greatness be if success was certain and there was no risk? The only true failure is shrinking away from life’s challenges.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

There’s a funny quote that I see circle around social media pages every couple months. It’s some variation of “Every dead body on Mt. Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe calm down.” It gets a good laugh. It’s true. Even in today’s world where Everest has become in some sense, commercialized, her customers are still the high achievers she’s attracted for nearly 100 years. So what’s the message?

Ambition gets you killed.

Concerns for the unknown man or woman climbing Everest are really secondary to the inadequacy we feel watching someone accomplish something we haven’t. The problem isn’t the goal getter, it’s the onlooker who’s full of insecurity. Seeing others strive for a high bar provokes criticism not because the ideal isn’t good, but because it reminds the crowd of their own shortcomings.

The 200+ bodies atop the mountain are exactly where they belong. Their corpses stand as monuments, not of failure, but as testaments of not shrinking away from life’s greatest challenges.