I go to the wild mountains where I am responsible for myself. Step by step I am making sure that I don't die.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-reliance and personal responsibility in the face of nature's challenges.
Reinhold Messner's quote reflects the profound connection between humanity and the wilderness. It speaks to the experience of venturing into untamed landscapes where one must rely solely on their own abilities and instincts for survival. The phrase 'responsible for myself' highlights the importance of accountability and awareness in challenging environments. This journey into the mountains represents not only a physical journey but also a metaphorical one, where each step signifies personal growth and the conscious effort to remain alive and aware.
In practice
This quote could be shared during a motivational talk about the importance of self-discovery and personal growth.
I became famous for the fact that I would break many, many limits. People said, 'He does all these crazy things.' But oddly it was a crazy thing only because scientists and climbers said, 'Everest and the 8,000-meter peaks without oxygen - impossible. Messner is becoming sick in his head.'
A 30-year-old rock climber is an old man. At 40, one is in the middle of his high-altitude power. At 50, a crosser of deserts is at his best age. But at 60, each of us is out of the game.
I think my cultural work is more important than the adventures I did. The adventures are not important for human beings. It's the conquering of the useless.
In mountaineering, there is not only the activity, but the philosophy behind it. Some say a moral, but I am against that because all morality is dangerous.
I was the first man to climb the world's 14 tallest peaks without supplementary oxygen, but I never asked how high I would go, just how I would do it.
In my state of spiritual abstraction, I no longer belong to myself and to my eyesight. I am nothing more than a single narrow gasping lung, floating over the mists and summits.
All the human and animal manure which the world wastes, if returned to the land, instead of being thrown into the sea, would suffice to nourish the world.
Climate change respects no borders.
Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"... "It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine.
I urge individuals around the world to stand up, and ask local leaders, if they haven't already, to pledge to purchase cleaner cars, build green facilities, and buy green power like wind or solar energy. Our actions may determine if we become a casualty in the war for a habitable planet for generations to come.
In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.
Nothing is more consonant with Nature than that she puts into operation in the smallest detail that which she intends as a whole.
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