‘why we’re who we are’
It’s early June and I’m standing on a ridge high in the West Mountains. I’ve hiked out to a pitch that I’m preparing to ski. It’s a solo trip, probably not the smartest thing, but a trek like this has a way of putting things in perspective. Alone in the mountains has a very humbling effect. There is a certain clarity with the world that is difficult to achieve with all of the noise of daily life.
My father passed away earlier this year and as I’m sitting on a large chunk of granite, choosing my line below, my memory of him was illuminated. I imagined him (in his youth) sitting there with me discussing our route to the bottom, laughing and carrying on just like I would with my kids and buddies in a situation like this. For a moment I felt this incredible connection as friends and companions. My eyes glazed over and the moment passed. I clicked into my skis and carved up the pitch below.
Was this experience something spiritual or was it just a combination of natural things lining up perfectly for a moment?
I have spent my life contemplating the origin of the universe and man’s place within it, praying for truth, asking for signs that might give me clues, wishing that I could actually be privileged enough to know ‘why we’re who we are”.
I have constantly engaged with others for their thoughts on the the matter. Some people are anxious to explore the possibilities, many are blinded by their faith and others spend very little time contemplating the question at all. In the end there are no answers only more questions. This (for me) is the nature of the human experience and I’m okay with that.
It is important to understand that I have never had any experience in my life that would lead me to believe in anything supernatural. My experience on the mountain is just one of many incredibly overwhelming and beautiful experiences in my life and (if I subscribed to one of Man’s many religions) I suppose I could attribute these experiences to God or some other external power. That is certainly a ‘choice’ available to me. Men of faith are constantly crediting a natural human experience to God. That is a way for them to validate their ‘faith’. That is their ‘choice’ as well. The reality (for me) is that these are human experiences, shaped by the humanity and love that resides in all of us. That’s good enough for me. I don’t need a belief in something greater, fueled by something ‘mystical’ for me to be comfortable with things I don’t understand.
The religious authorities talk of fantastic things that await us when we move on from this life. Bless them for their faith and the comfort it brings to them. Our parting from this world is the gateway to truth. Until then, and only then, will any of us know truth.
Cont.