tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393767047761198934.post2826318389721208747..comments2014-07-09T00:29:40.725-04:00Comments on Reading the Extreme in World Adventure Narratives: Extreme Privilegejashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04174652571648541889noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393767047761198934.post-48679303350126663452014-02-06T10:42:27.685-05:002014-02-06T10:42:27.685-05:00"People do not climb mountains when they are ..."People do not climb mountains when they are trying to ensure their survival at the base of it." I once read that statement, the source of which I have long forgotten, in an article talking about the lure of climbing mountains and why often local populations have no desire to summit peaks when others will travel halfway across the world and risk their lives for the pursuit. In Herzog's account, Sherpas do not climb for recreation, but rather for the good wage working an expedition provides. I have often thought of excellence in recreational pursuits as a sign of modern post-industrial society climbing very high collectively up Maslow's hierarchy of needs. In the same way that one can occasionally splurge on another Patagonia puffy after the heating bill has been paid, societies that have met the basic needs of their citizenry can afford to expend resources on more superfluous pursuits such as high altitude mountaineering expeditions, the NFL, or even liberal arts education. Communities would not send students to college, develop strong individuals as professional athletes, or spend money on high altitude climbs if they needed to cut wood for heat, kill game and grow vegetables for food, and build houses out of local resources. Climbing mountains is indeed a privilege and one that is afforded to members of post-industrial modernized societies who are not occupied with cultivating food to ensure their survival in the valley below.Sarah Jillingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07002090703322128433noreply@blogger.com