If you have ever been privileged to be amongst the mountains,
It is difficult not to be moved.
It is simply remarkable that mountains,
Which only move by millimetres each year,
Can move us so much.
This movement goes in all directions,
Upwards,
Downwards,
Forwards,
Backwards or sideways.
The forces behind these tiny movements is immense.
As continents slide on top of huge tectonic plates and collide with each other,
The crust buckles and rises and falls.
Accordingly,
The process to create a mountain takes hundreds of thousands of years.
So each mountain does indeed start as a metaphorical molehill.
But what moves us so much when we see a mountain?
Is it their majesty?
Or this seeming permanence?
Think for a moment on how a mountain might perceive one of us humans.
Perhaps as a small ant climbing its slopes.
A creature of no significance.
Maybe though a mountain might be jealous of our ability to move around so freely.
This desire for freedom might be doubled if that mountain spotted a free-flying eagle soaring on the thermals.
Or it might wonder where that silver tube came from and where it might be heading.
The mountain itself would be moved if it knew that tube contained a few hundred of these humans,
Jetting from one side of the planet to another.
Some of these humans might be staring out of their porthole windows,
Again moved by the majesty of the mountains.
Some might be staring at a screen,
Oblivious to what splendour lies beneath them and what forces created such glory.
For some,
A mountain represents a challenge,
Something to be conquered by planting a flag on its summit.
Some of us,
Of course,
Face our own metaphorical mountains.
So whether you want to summit a real mountain peak,
To reach a pinnacle or overcome an obstacle in your life,
The process is similar.
First,
It requires a little planning.
What are you aiming to achieve?
When would be the best time to take on this challenge?
What resources will you need to take?
Who will be on your dream team?
And just as it is not advised to leap a chasm in two leaps,
Scaling a mountain,
Either real or metaphorical,
Should not be rushed in one day.
Set up base camps,
Establish waypoints.
What small steps will get you closer to the summit?
What might you learn going just part of the way?
What sights,
Sounds and wonders could be enjoyed getting to where you want to get to eventually?
You may even find Nirvana along the way,
And stay there admiring the majesty of the mountain from a point a little nearer to it.
If you move on past the various waypoints and get to the summit,
You get to an enviable position with two non-mutually exclusive options.
First,
You will be able to see further peaks in the distance.
New challenges and even wider vistas open up for you,
Perhaps.
You will also possess the experience and knowledge to help others scale their own mountains.
So are you ready to move?
Are you ready to move others?
Are you ready to be moved by the mountains?
