Touching the Void

1. What types of goals are involved with climbing the mountain?
Goals like not falling, getting to the top, descending in safety and surviving are involved with climbing the mountain. Many short term goals are made and achieved in order to approach the final destination. These short term goals will encourage the climber to keep moving and to not give up so easily. The satisfaction the climber receive after accomplishing his or her long term goal will also encourage the climber to rest less when they are tired.

2. What type of goals are involved in Joe's decent?
Joe specified measurable goals during his decent down the mountain; he set certain times for himself to get to a place. If he gets there earlier than his goal, he keeps moving. If he gets there later than his goal, he still keeps moving. Joe's goals helped him drastically through his journey down the mountain. He made many short term goals which led him to his long term goal, which is to descend the mountain safely. Furthermore, Joe's other goal was to find water to drink since he was dehydrated. During Joe's journey, he heard water but could not find where the water was. However, he found water later on during his journey. Joe thought about what he went through to get to where he was, therefore he made up his mind to finish his journey.

3. Would you have cut the rope? Why or why not?
I would have cut the rope because I believe it would be better for one person to survive rather than for both to die. However, this would be a very difficult decision because I find it selfish for leaving my partner behind to go on alone. I might not be able to maintain in the position Simon was in for long without knowing what situation my partner was in. Also, I know that both me and my partner are in a cold, dehydrated, miserable and hungry state. Therefore I will cut the rope eventually.

4. Look at the statements made by Joe below. What truth about life does each hold? Feel free to use scenarios to help explain your answers.

"What I had to deal/faced with was so big I could not deal with it"
Joe was in a desperate state because he was hanging of a cliff with a broken leg with nobody else there accompanying him. He had to deal with a living or dying situation, therefore what Joe had to deal or face with was so big that at that moment he did not have a solution to the problem. His statement reveals that there might be situations where you have to face or deal with something hard, but it is not impossible.

"I had to keep making decisions whether they were right or wrong"
Joe had to keep making decisions because he had a limited time to get to the campsite at the bottom of the mountain. If he does not make quick decisions, he would die in a few days with no food available. Therefore his statement tells me that decisions have to continuously be made in life because life moves on really quickly.

"I was so scared of going deeper but I had to do something"
Joe was in a scary situation. If he lowers himself down the cleavage, it could be a dead end. However, there could be an opening somewhere down there. He took the risk when he lowered himself deeper into the cleavage, but he found a way out. This statement tells me that there are times when you have to make a dangerous decision but have no idea what would happen after.

"I couldn't blindly hope things would get better"
When Joe stayed there in the cleavage without doing anything, he knows that things are not going to get better. His statement reveals that things do not get better if you don't do anything about it. Hiding will not make things better either because nothing is changed.

5. Why is climbing a mountain used as a metaphor to describe life?
Climbing a mountain is used as a metaphor to describe life because there are ups and downs. Events might occur to make the journey up a mountain harder and decisions also have to be made under desperate circumstances. Climbing a mountain is very similar to life because of the continuous events that happen to make situations worse in both climbing a mountain and life.

6. Even the best laid educational or career plans can come to a disastrous end. What do you have to do to ensure your career plans, don't die on the mountain of life?
First, I have to get a good education to ensure my career plans in the future do not "die on the mountain of life". Secondly, I have to pick a job that I like and am good at, so I will like it for the rest of my life. Thirdly, I need to find an alternative job that requires other training. If my education or career plans come to a disastrous end, I still have other options.