Universal Conflicts...... Commitment of the Sherpas and the Curse of the Homeland

It is amazing how many cultures are represented on an expedition team up Mt. Everest. There were as many as 17 different cultures climbing up the mountain in 1996 willing to do whatever they could to reach the summit. The mountain practically pulls them in and brings conflict into their lives because although they know it is extremely dangerous and the risk of their life, they take the chance. There were guides, sherpas, clients, and many more people with different occupations wanting to achieve the dream.

The Sherpas are invaluable members of an expedition, men that are native to the mountain and are paid to cook, work, dig, hall, and load. They help the guides and the clients because Mt. Everest is part of their homeland and it is visible to them every day. I remember some clients feeling badly because they felt like they were not doing any work at all. There is no way the guides could summit Mt. Everest with their expeditions without the help and commitment of the their sherpas.

The universal conflict in climbing Mt. Everest is how these sherpas love but also hate the the pull of the mountain. Most sherpas loved to climb but all of them also needed to make money and so it was a job they could not turn down.

One Sherpa thought the mountain was extremely cursed because his mom and dad had died there when working hard on the peak. Three of his other siblings died from various accidents on the mountain and he and his sister got split up into orphanages in two countries. This was absolutely horrific for the orphan Sherpa.

There are many sherpas that became extremely loyal to their guides as well. One example is Ngawang who struggled with edema when climbing with his boss, Scott Fisher. Fisher let him wander away for too long with a client, putting too much trust in his ability to get to the top alone. He died because of this.

There was another sherpa named Lopsang who was absolutely committed to same guide, Scott Fischer and would do anything he needed to do for him. He gave up his life trying to save Scott and before he died he confessed that he was the one to blame for Scott’s injuries, illness and eventually, his death.

One Sherpa fell into an ice crevasse and was carried down 3000 feet because he was severely injured. A few years later, he had the desire to go back on another expedition and climb which most any climber of any culture would do.

I can see why the sherpas and their families struggle with taking this job not knowing if they are going to survive each climb.

The easiest way I see to compare this to universal conflicts in general is to use the example of teenagers and their addiction to alcohol and drugs. Teens get pulled into drugs and booze just like climbers were pulled into climbing Mount Everest. All is fun for both the young ones and the climbers until someone gets hurt or into trouble. Both drugs and Everest can ruin the lives of not only the one involved, but their families as well. Its just like how at first all of the climbers are happy when they are getting ready to ascend the mountain, but are usually either killed or injured if they even get to the top of Everest. Also, its like how when the teens drink and smoke around friends they are happy but once they get caught by the police or by their parents, the fun is over.

I will finish this journey with this quote from an American Climber.

"Once in their lifetime, every person should journey to a place where legends live, where everything is bigger than life. Everest has always represented nature at its most powerful, most awe-inspiring, most unconquerable." --- An American Mountain Climber