26/04/2024
Within the shadows of mountains, we can find things we would never expect.
At 10 months old my youngest daughter Amalie lost the ability to see and move overnight. Firstly, on life support then following her release from hospital, she has been surrounded by close family members, friends, nurses, doctors and carers. I have seen that within many people you can find unrelenting kindness, empathy, patience, love, support and care. These people provide a selfless purpose that overrides the predominately self-centred achievements of most mountaineers on their quest to summit. As a semi-pro mountaineer whose jobs was to break world records by climbing some of these peaks, I was admittedly selfish, a little egotistical and blinkered by the singular purpose of climbing. I still fully advocate and support the essence of being free and continue to enjoy the mountains both alone and with others. They have multiple personal benefits to help us understand human nature, develop and improve wellbeing.
It is through comparing climbing and then seeing my daughter’s life change, I came to admire how doing something selfless can be just as rewarding and inspiring as climbing any mountain. My daughter has taught me to become a better person. She may not be able to hold a spoon, say dad, or move without support. She has done much more. She has helped me see how privileged I am just by being able to talk, to walk, to climb, to see.
A pro mountaineer easily shines out in their bright vibrant clothing set against white powder and an icy blue-sky background. The carer works quietly in tired clothes hidden in the grey shadows not wanting any attention. Who should be more revered?
I have also recently seen in those shadows the shallowness, ignorance and insular vision of how other people view disabled people. I invited someone close to me to see my daughter and the response I received was ‘there’s no point as she wouldn’t know I am there’. For sure my daughter is blind and can only recognise people through noise, touch and smell. For those people that see her regularly she will sometimes be smiling and sometimes crying. Being part of a good human is about being supportive, understanding and selfless.
To support a disabled person we have to go above the norm and do much more. The definition of a "good society" can be subjective, as different people may have different ideas of what constitutes a desirable society. However, in general, a good society is characterized by fairness, justice, and equality, where everyone is treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their race, gender, ability or socioeconomic status.
When an able person gets knocked off a bike and lies in a coma, is in their dying days with a terminal illness or even in their first few days of life as a newborn, it is only normal for them to be surrounded by loved ones. Any form of contact from family members or friends no matter what your physical state can only be good. We pass on pheromones, auras, feelings, sounds which have all proven to be emotionally and scientifically beneficial. Just because a severely disabled person cannot always smile back at you it does not mean you should not visit them. It does not mean they do not like or love you. It is easy to get immediate gratitude from anyone if you gift them something, give them money, take them out and so on. Attaining visual gratitude whether it is a smile, some emoji or a simple word of praise is what we all enjoy. A severely disabled person can sometimes not give you any of these but that does not mean you cannot give them love or attention.
If you want to strive to be a truly good person keep climbing those mountains and going on those walks. Cherish the freedom of being able. Then share that energy and give someone something without expecting anything. That is what makes a good person.
