Into Thin Air
Lessons from Mt. Everest
May 10, 1996, a severe and sudden storm trapped several climbers high on Mt. Everest as they were descending from the summit. In what has become the deadliest single tragedy in the mountain’s climbing history, a total of eight people perished.
A NYTimes best seller and movie, Into Thin Air, described the tragedy. One of guides, was world renowned Seattle climbing guide Scott Fischer, who took people on the climb for about $65,0000. Scott was one of a handful to have peaked the two highest points on earth. Everest and K2. The climbers got into a storm of 75 mile an hour winds and snow flurries that kept them from seeing more than a couple of feet ahead.
Boukreev (Russian guide who summitted during the 1996 tragedy 8 lost lives). "There is discipline, they understand the risk. I told them, you can succeed -- it’s not likely the first time, maybe 25 per cent, but you CAN succeed. You can also die."
Ed Viesturs, a guide who was on Mt. Everest in 1996 when several climbers died after reaching the peak, said
that "Getting to the top is optional, but getting down is mandatory. A lot of people get focused on the summit
and forget that."
Less oxygen at 8,000 feet than sea level– a third as much. Some climbers get fluid in the lungs and can’t breathe. Others have a rush of blood to the head to compensate for the lack of oxygen and the head swells. Some get a high altitude cough that can be so severe it has broken lungs. Why would people risk life and limbs for a sport? Because of the risk involved...The risk...the challenge. People climb the mountain, because it is there...because it taunts them to conquer it.
Whether you mountain climb, or surf, raise children, or run your own business– you take risks. Being human=risk.
1. Everyone here takes risks.
One of the latest trends among the misnamed "slacker generation" is the growth of "extreme sports." Any sport, any activity, it seems, is better if taken to some new "extreme." Snowboarding is great; air-boarding (riding your snow-board down to earth after jumping out of an airplane) is extremely better. Mountain-biking, roller blading, skiing--everything is being taken to new, more daring extremes by Generation X’ers.
Of course, the only place most of us ever see the performances of these "extreme athletes" is from the depths of the lounge chair, safely parked in front of the TV. We watch these Gen X’ers, shake our heads and piously talk about what ridiculous risks they are taking just to have fun.
But do you know who’s really taking the biggest risk? The most risk-laden recreational sports in the world today are the "armchair Olympics" or the "couch-potato championships." While we just sit there watching "extreme athletes," our own blood pressure slowly rises; cholesterol starts piling up in our arteries; internalized stress mounts; our lungs take wimpy, inefficient breaths; and our muscle tone deteriorates.
Contrast that with the "crazy athlete." While apparently risking life and limb, the extreme athlete keeps his or her body fit, stress levels are lowered and there is that euphoric, endorphic rush that just generally makes us feel good. In the long run, hurtling through the air may be a lot less risky than sitting there in a chair!
Getting on the top of the world, or anything worthwhile involves risk and persistence. There is not such thing as a risk-free life. A life without risk is not really living, it’s simply existing. You cannot Not be a risk taker. To play it safe is often a bigger risk.
You probably didn’t think about it, but you took considerable risks getting here to church today. Risks such as:
-- A one in two million chance of dying by falling out of bed this morning.
-- While brushing your teeth, you flirted with the 20 percent chance that your local water supply has
infectious bacteria in it.
-- Men endured a one in 7,000 chance of a serious shaving injury.
--- A risk of one in 145 of your car’s being stolen still waits for you.
-Do not ride in automobiles; they cause 20 percent of all fatal accidents. Do not stay at home; 17 percent of all
accidents occur in the home. Do not walk on the street or sidewalk; 14 percent of all accidents occur to
pedestrians. Do not travel by air, rail or water; 16 percent of all accidents happen on these. By the way, only 1 in a thousand deaths occur at a church, so church is the safest place on earth.
It’s the same way with Christianity. It’s a risk. A risk of being misunderstood and judged by others. It’s a risk to live for Jesus Christ. But Jesus told his followers that he wanted them to be risk takers. Don’t play life in the safety zone. Reach for the top. Aim high. Take chances. Don’t just live in the safety zone.
Matthew 25:14ff "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was going to another place for a visit. Before he left, he called for his servants and told them to take care of his things while he was gone. He gave one servant five bags of gold (literally "5 talents" A talent was over 5,000 denarii-- money. One talent in those days was worth 15 years wages for a servant–5 bags of gold=75 years wages), another servant 2 bags of gold, and a third servant one bag of gold– to each one as much as he could handle. Then he left. The servant who got five bags went quickly to invest the money and earned five more bags. In the same way, the servant who had two bags invested them and earned two more. But the servant who got one bag went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
After a long time the master came home and asked the servants what they did with his money. The servant who was given five bags of gold brought five more bags to the master and said, "Master, you trusted me to care for five bags of gold so I used them to earn five more." The master answered, "You did well. You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things. Come and share my joy with me." Same with servant who was given 2 bags of gold.
The servant who was given one bag of gold came and said, "Master I know that you are a hard man...so I was afraid and went and hid your money in the ground. Here is your bag of gold. The master answered "You are a wicked and lazy servant! You should have put my gold in the bank. Then when I came home, I would have received my gold back with interest. And he took the money from the lazy servant and gave it to the other two and had the lazy servant thrown outside into the darkness.
Those willing to risk nothing actually risk losing everything.
2. Risk Takers Keep Climbing
Many of the climbers who summitted Everest didn’t reach the top on the first try. A risk taker keeps trying. Doesn’t give up. They’re animals for adventure. Risk- taking is a way of life, not a one time experience. It took some climbers several failed attempts before they succeeded. But were they really failures for not summiting? Maybe, because they didn’t achieve their goal on the first try, but their body became used to the conditions on Everest and they knew better what to expect the next time. Failure didn’t stop them from risk-taking. The more comfortable we are with failure, the more we’ll take risks. The more risks we take, the more opportunities we have. The more opportunities we have, the greater the chance for success. So get comfortable with failure, and instead of calling those experiences failure, call them lessons. Call the setbacks motivation to succeed the next time.
-Dr. Seuss was rejected by 27 publishers for his first book. But kept risking failure and rejection before the 28th publisher sold 6 million copies of "And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street"
- Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. He also went bankrupt several times before building Disneyland. Yet he kept climbing...kept taking risks.
-Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team...but he kept playing. Kept shooting.
-In 1905 the University of Bern turned down a doctoral dissertation from a young physics student, saying it was irrelevant and fanciful. The student, Albert Einstein, was disappointed, but not defeated. He climbed the mountain the next year.
-Louis L’Amour received 350 rejections before he made his first book sale, then went on to sale over 200 million copies of his books. He kept trying. Kept climbing. Kept taking risks.
-Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. She was born prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4, she contracted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which left her with a paralyzed left leg. At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependant on and began to walk without it. By 13 she had developed a rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a miracle. That same year she decided to become a runner. She entered a race and came in last. For the next several years, every race she entered, she came in last. Everyone told her to quit. (Quit climbing the mountain...it’s too high. You won’t make it. Quit taking the risk) But she kept on running. One day she actually won a race. And then another. From then on she won every race she entered. Eventually, this little girl, who was told she would never walk again, went on to win three Olympic gold medals.
Those willing to risk nothing actually risk losing everything.
3. Risk Takers Go Against Conventional Wisdom
Columbus trusted his maps and calculations, considered his risks and sailed off to encounter the "new world."
Magellan based his charts and maps on the most current information available, then boldly circumnavigated the world. A few centuries later, in their search for a northwest passage, Lewis and Clark struck out to cross the entire North American continent and drew the contours of a new nation.
All these explorers had at least one thing in common. They all based their momentous journeys on maps that were completely wrong, hopelessly flawed or vastly mistaken. Furthermore, they had to know that there was a very good chance their charts were in error -- after all, no one had taken these journeys before. Yet even though the maps they used were jokes (when looked at from the 20-20 vision of hindsight), each of these adventurers went ahead, accepted the risks, plunged into unknown territories and changed the world.
Of course, they didn’t always end up where they thought they were going. Rather than Columbus "discovering"
America, the native Americans "discovered" him, lost and confused about where he was. Lewis and Clark never found a secret inland passage. During the course of their expeditions, these explorers faced some form of mutiny. To those without vision, traveling beyond the boundaries of their maps, venturing beyond sight of the shore behind them and without any sight of shore in front of them, is terrifying and panic-inducing. The human preference for the known, no matter how unpleasant, is strong. Those without the vision, without the courage to risk, are quick to label others as crazy, crackpots, fools and failures.
ILLUS: One summer, a man spent the day on the beach in Jacksonville, Florida. The undertow was unusually strong that day, and more than once, lifeguards jumped down from their towers to rescue swimmers from the treacherous surf. Finally, the man went to the lifeguard station to express his appreciation for the dedication of these men. When he walked inside, he noticed a sign on the wall in large red letters: "If in doubt, go!" And the man said, "Those same words should be on the walls of every church and on the wall of every person’s soul."
Those willing to risk nothing actually risk losing everything.
What area in your life do you need to jump in the water...start climbing the mountain? What area do you need to keep going forward even if the maps are all wrong? What are talents or gifts from God are you burying in the ground, that Jesus Christ would rather have you invest and risk. Are some of you afraid to live for God? We all know it is a risk, but not a blind risk, and not a risk that leads to failure. You will get to the top with God as your guide. That’s a risk worth betting your life on.
Those willing to risk nothing actually risk losing everything.
